Zak Mir interviews Bernard Aylward, CEO of Kodal Minerals (AIM: KOD), following last month's announcement that it has successfully produced its first spodumene concentrate at the fully-funded Bougouni Lithium Project in Southern Mali.

The first production of spodumene concentrate was successfully achieved during the commissioning phase of the Stage 1 Dense Media Separation (DMS) processing plant, following the introduction of pegmatite ore into the circuit.

The DMS plant met its performance targets in this initial run, producing spodumene concentrate with an assay of 5.53% Li₂O, aligning with the planned production profile.

This milestone was reached ahead of schedule, setting the stage for a gradual ramp-up to nameplate capacity in the coming weeks.

Bernard Aylward, CEO of Kodal Minerals, remarked: “The first production of spodumene concentrate at Bougouni marks a major milestone for Kodal and I would like to thank our entire team for this achievement, which wholly reflects the dedication and effort of all those involved.  We are confident that this progress will continue into the commercial production phase and our project team will continue to work towards our 10,000 tonnes per month target at Bougouni.

“The operational focus over the coming weeks will be the finalisation of commissioning and stress testing of the DMS processing plant as we ramp up to achieve nameplate capacity and steady state production. We look forward to confirming our first shipment of lithium spodumene concentrate to Hainan in China by the end of this quarter.”

https://www.share-talk.com/zak-mir-talks-to-bernard-aylward-ceo-of-kodal-minerals-2/