Century Lithium has released an update on its 100% owned Angel Island lithium project in Nevada. As demand for domestically sourced battery-grade lithium carbonate continues to grow, particularly for electric-vehicle (EV) manufacturing, the company is moving forward on permitting, feasibility work, and process development.
The update outlines progress on extraction technology, federal permitting, and infrastructure planning. These steps are central to establishing a US-based lithium supply for EV batteries.
Angel Island is one of the largest known sediment-hosted lithium resources in the US and is located in a favorable geological and logistical setting. The company is developing an end-to-end process to convert lithium-bearing claystone into battery-grade lithium carbonate. A key part of the process is the company’s patent-pending chlor-alkali extraction technology, which converts sodium chloride into essential reagents. This closed-loop approach is designed to reduce reliance on external chemical supplies and lower environmental and operational impacts.
“Baseline work to support the Plan of Operations is complete, and the update to the 2024 Feasibility Study is progressing,” said Bill Willoughby, President & CEO. “Our objective is to establish a US-based source of battery-grade lithium carbonate that contributes to domestic critical-mineral supply chains.”
Permitting process
All baseline and environmental studies required for federal permitting have been completed and accepted by the US Bureau of Land Management. The company is finalizing its Plan of Operations, which outlines mine layout, process-plant design, water-management systems, tailings and waste-rock handling, access infrastructure, and mitigation measures. Submission of the Plan of Operations will start the review under the National Environmental Policy Act. The company continues to follow the timeline shown on the Federal FAST-41 Dashboard.
Demonstration plant relocation
The company has dismantled and relocated its Demonstration Plant to its 20-acre facility at the Tonopah Airport. This site previously supported preparation and handling of bulk sample material for pilot-scale testing in Amargosa Valley. Century Lithium is evaluating improvements that could expand research, development, and process-optimization work at the facility.
Feasibility study update
Work to update the 2024 Feasibility Study is ongoing. Current efforts include mine-plan optimization, equipment evaluation, and layout changes intended to improve operating efficiency and reduce the overall footprint. The most significant process updates involve refinements to fluid management, direct lithium extraction (DLE) design, and lithium-carbonate production steps, all based on results from multi-year operation of the Demonstration Plant.
Electrical-infrastructure planning includes a connection to NV Energy’s Greenlink West transmission project, a 525 kV system that is under construction between Las Vegas and the Fort Churchill substation. The updated study continues to focus on lithium carbonate as the primary product, with the potential for supplemental revenue from surplus sodium hydroxide generated by the chlor-alkali system.
Filed Under: Batteries, Technology News