Liontown has reached a major milestone at its Kathleen Valley lithium operation, completing three years of open pit mining and officially transitioning to fully underground operations.
The final truckload has left the Kathleen’s Corner pit, closing the open pit chapter and marking the start of a new phase for the mine.
“Completing the open pit on schedule is a significant achievement,” Liontown chief executive officer Tony Ottaviano said.
“Delivering to the plan set five years ago is a testament to the skill and determination of our team and our contractor. The plan was set five years ago as part of our definitive feasibility study (DFS) and delivering to that plan is a testament to the strength, skill and determination of our team and contractor Iron Mine Contracting,” Ottaviano said.
The open pit was pivotal in establishing underground operations. Ore from the pit supported the commissioning and ramp-up of the process plant, while waste rock was used to build key infrastructure, including the run-of-mine pad and tailings storage facility.
In its final six months, the pit exceeded recovery targets and created substantial strategic stockpiles of clean ore, providing feed security through early 2026-27 financial year (FY27) as underground operations scale up.
“Our underground mine is progressing to plan, delivering high-margin ore to the mill while retaining the flexibility to scale production in response to market demand,” Ottaviano said.
The open pit was completed with a small environmental footprint and in close consultation with the Tjiwarl people, ensuring protection of culturally significant areas. Mining contractor Iron Mine Contracting was recognised for its strong and consistent performance throughout the three-year operation.
With the underground ramp-up now underway, Kathleen Valley is set to become Australia’s first large-scale underground lithium mine.
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