Sigma to start civil works at Brazil lithium project this month

Canada’s Sigma Lithium announced that it will start civil works this month at its Grota do Cirilo project in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state. 

The company, which concluded the construction of the foundation earthworks for the phase 1 production plant, said the civil works will be followed by plant mechanical structure works in June. 

"The construction team is currently focused on the construction of the phase 1 mine’s protective drainage (channels and pipes) and construction of the bypass of the municipal road around the Grota do Cirilo project," the company said in a statement. "These two work streams are expected to be concluded as planned during the month of April 2022." 

Engineering, procurement and construction management for the phase 1 plant, including civil works, is led by Primero Group.

Sigma Lithium said it has enough cash for the financing of phase 1 of the project and has ordered certain long-lead items to minimize potential supply-chain related delays.

Phase 1 will have capacity of 240,000t/y of lithium concentrate, rising to 460,000t/y – or 66,000t of lithium carbonate equivalent – in phase II.

Grota do Cirilo is the largest lithium hard rock deposit in the Americas, and the company has been producing lithium concentrate at the site on a pilot scale since 2018. 

Sigma, which operates in Brazil through subsidiary Sigma Mineração, looks to start production at Grota do Cirilo in the fourth quarter of this year.