Galan Lithium (ASX: GLN) has commissioned the first batch of processed lithium chloride from its wholly owned Hombre Muerto West (HMW) project in Argentina’s Catamarca province.
Chemical assaying at an independent laboratory validated that impurity separation performance achieved to date was consistent with design specifications of the nanofiltration plant.
The processed lithium chloride has since been discharged into final evaporation ponds, where the water will be removed and contained lithium concentrated through evaporation over a three-month period.
The resulting lithium chloride concentrate (with a 6% lithium content) will be sold under Phase 1 offtake arrangements.
Wet Commissioning Phase
Galan transitioned the project to wet commissioning in March after the completion of Phase 1 construction and the execution of electrical and mechanical testing programs.
The nanofiltration plant was commissioned with raw brine at low pressures before being fed with pre-concentrated brine (containing 0.5% lithium) under high pressures to produce the processed lithium chloride.
Galan has not yet achieved stabilised production at HMW, and is currently undertaking an optimisation phase that will initially result in a variable rate of processed brine.
Once the phase is complete, the company expects processing to be stabilised at an annualised rate of 4,000 tonnes per annum lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE).
LCE Brine Inventory
Galan has accumulated a brine inventory of around 10,000t LCE in the evaporation ponds at HMW, providing immediate and substantial feedstock for the production ramp-up phase.
The company expects this inventory to help it build towards rates of production consistent with the initial Phase 1 capacity without interruption.
Pond construction works for a Phase 1 expansion to 5,200tpa are being planned, with the capacity uplift targeted for mid-2027.
The nanofiltration plant has been designed with flexibility to support potential expanded rates of production.
De-Risking HMW Project
Managing director Juan Pablo Vargas de la Vega said the successful commissioning of the processing plant “cannot be overstated”.
“This operation has now been completely de-risked from start to finish and in just a few months, we expect to have lithium chloride concentrate ready for sales,” he said.
“To our knowledge, Galan will be the only greenfield lithium project coming online in 2026—becoming a new source of supply to the battery supply chain is very exciting and has been well-timed to take advantage of a favourable lithium pricing environment.”
Galan holds construction permits for Phase 2 of the HMW project (up 21,000tpa LCE) and retains plans for a staged and low-risk production growth pathway across four additional phases to up to 60,000tpa LCE.
Ranked as a Top 10 global lithium resource by contained LCE, HMW’s scale and quality underpins its long-term potential as a significant supplier to the global lithium market.
