Covalent Lithium is a 50:50 joint venture between Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers Limited and Chilean lithium producer Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM). Established to develop and operate an integrated lithium project in Western Australia, the company focuses on mining, concentrating, and refining lithium resources for the battery materials supply chain.
The flagship Mt Holland project encompasses a hard-rock spodumene mine and concentrator located around 500 km east of Perth in the Goldfields region, near Southern Cross, along with a lithium hydroxide refinery in the Kwinana Industrial Area south of Perth. Operations extract lithium ore, produce spodumene concentrate, and convert it into battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate at the refinery.
At nameplate capacity, the refinery targets approximately 50,000 tonnes per annum of lithium hydroxide, enough to support the production of around one million electric vehicles annually. The mine has an expected operational life of about 50 years. In 2026, shareholders approved expansion plans that will double annual spodumene concentrate output to roughly 760,000 tonnes by 2030, incorporating a second concentrator and ore sorting facility to enhance efficiency and recover additional material.
As a fully integrated Australian producer, Covalent Lithium contributes to global lithium supply for electric vehicles and energy storage, leveraging local resources and international expertise while prioritizing sustainable practices, regulatory compliance, and long-term operational resilience in the critical minerals sector.
Also known as Western Australia Lithium Pty Ltd.
chemXplore tracks 1 project involving Covalent Lithium, of which one is active.
Covalent Lithium's role on them: Owner, Operator, and Developer.
1 expansion.
Expansion doubles spodumene output to 760,000 tpa, adds ore-sorting recovery of ~3 Mt over the life, Wesfarmers’ capex $645–715M; construction H2 2027, first expanded volumes H1 2030.
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