Australian producer Core Lithium will restart its Finniss mine, with mining and ore production to begin in May followed by first concentrate delivery in October-December, it said today.
The company has awarded a surface mining services contract to NRW, an Australian construction and mining contractor, for open-pit mining at the Grants deposit at Finniss, as Core Lithium works on restarting the site.
The operation has been in care and maintenance since 2024 owing to poor lithium prices. In March, Core decided to restart the site.
Open pit mining will provide a "near-term production pathway" and feed source for its processing plant, said Core Lithium on 7 April.
Ore processing and hauling are expected to start in July-September, with the first shipment anticipated in October-December, the company added.
Other Australian lithium producers, such as Mineral Resources and PLS — formerly known as Pilbara — were similarly forced to either shutter operations or slow expansions during the extended lithium downturn. But a recovery in spodumene prices since late 2025 has since prompted producers to begin reversing those decisions.
Australia's lithium loadings hit a record high in March at over 488,200t, according to vessel tracking firm Kpler's latest figures compiled by Argus, after cyclone disruptions curbed February exports.
