Lithium mining and processing has commenced at Chemical Grade Plant 3 (CGP3) at the Greenbushes operation in Western Australia, operated by Talison Lithium and jointly owned by IGO, Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia and Albemarle. CGP3 adds new chemical-grade concentrator capacity alongside the existing CGP1 and CGP2 trains, targeting spodumene feed from the world‑class Greenbushes orebody. The ramp‑up of CGP3 is integral to lifting total site throughput and stabilising supply to downstream lithium hydroxide refineries in Kwinana and overseas.

Liontown Resources has appointed Vaughan Harris as the first Tjiwarl community apprentice at its Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia, a key site being developed as a hard-rock lithium operation. The apprenticeship, created in partnership with the Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation, is structured to provide trade qualifications while Harris works on-site during construction and ramp-up. For mining engineers and project managers, this signals a move towards embedding local Indigenous employment and skills development directly into project delivery and long-term operations planning.

Global Lithium Resources (GL1) is targeting the Port of Esperance as an export outlet for spodumene concentrate from its Manna lithium project east of Kalgoorlie, signing an agreement to progress port access and logistics planning. The move focuses on securing ship-loading capacity and integrating road haulage from the mine to Esperance, rather than railing via existing iron ore corridors. For geotechnical and civil contractors, the strategy points to future demand for heavy-haul road upgrades, stockpile pads and bulk-handling infrastructure along the Kalgoorlie–Esperance corridor.