Western Australia has a strategic advantage in the global demand for lithium. The State continues to position itself as a battery minerals hub due to its proximity to key markets, shorter construction and ramp-up times, and relatively low capital costs. As of September 2021, the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety in Western Australia reported the following lithium mining statistics:
In this Global Road Technology article, we discuss lithium prospectivity, supply, lithium mines, and lithium resources in Western Australia.
Western Australia’s lithium resources are ranked fourth globally with Liontown Resources recently doubling the resource at the Kathleen Valley project to 157 Mt at 1.4% Li2O and 130 ppm Ta2O5. Lithium is used as a component of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Its mining and production have been driven by the growth of electric vehicles and energy storage system markets. Lithium minerals in Western Australia occur in pegmatites and include:
The State is the largest supplier of lithium, producing high-quality spodumene concentrate from four operating mines. Production remained steady in 2020-21, with 1.6Mt of lithium concentrate produced from open-pit mines:
Bald Hill and Wodgina remain in care and maintenance.
First lithium hydroxide has recently been produced from the Tianqi and IGO Kwinana plant as part of the commissioning of Train 1. Albemarle’s Kemerton lithium hydroxide plant is under construction. Both Kwinana and Kemerton plants will source spodumene from the Greenbushes mine. Covalent Lithium, a Westfarmers/SQ joint venture has proposed a third lithium refinery for Kwinana to process ore from Mt Holland. Several other lithium projects are advancing. A definitive feasibility study was recently completed for the Kathleen Valley project. A scoping study for Dome North recently commenced, and new discovery and a maiden resource were announced for the Marble Bar Lithium Project.
These different projects have different resource dates from 2018 to 2021 with the oldest being Mt Holland in March 2018 and the latest in June 2021 at the Pilgangoora Project. The table below sums up different projects with lithium resources (Mt) in Western Australia.
| Project | Status | Owner | Resources (Mt) |
| Greenbushes | Operating | Albemarle Corporation / Tianqi Lithium / IGO | 196.8 |
| Pilgangoora | Operating | Pilbara Minerals | 309.0 |
| Wodgina | Operating | Albermarle Corporation/Mineral Resources | 259.2 |
| Mt Holland | Feasibility | Sociedad Quimica Y Minera De Chile S.A./Wesfarmers | 189.0 |
| Kathleen Valley | Feasibility | Liontown Resources | 156.0 |
| Mt Marion | Operating | Mineral Resources | 72.9 |
| Bald Hill | Feasibility | Alita Resources | 26.5 |
| Buldania | Exploration | Liontown Resources | 15.0 |
| Pioneer Dome | Exploration | Essential Metals | 11.2 |
| Mt Cattlin | Operating | Orocobre | 11.0 |
| Marble Bar | Exploration | Global Lithium Resources | 10.5 |
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