Pilbara Minerals’ Ngungaju restart: throughput and capex signals for mine planners
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on Australian Mining
30 Second Briefing
Pilbara Minerals has approved the restart of its Ngungaju spodumene processing plant at the Pilgangoora operation in WA’s Pilbara, aiming to capture improving lithium prices after last year’s curtailments. The restart will add a second processing stream alongside the existing Pilgan plant, lifting total site nameplate capacity once fully ramped and re‑utilising previously idled crushing, grinding and flotation circuits. For mine planners and process engineers, the move signals renewed confidence in hard‑rock lithium throughput and may trigger fresh contracting for drilling, tailings, and power and water infrastructure upgrades.
Technical Brief
- For other hard‑rock lithium projects, the move reinforces brownfield restart strategies over greenfield capex in volatile markets.
Our Take
In our database, Pilbara Minerals’ recent P1000 expansion work at Pilgangoora and the new Canmax spodumene offtake (both 2025–26 items) suggest the Ngungaju processing plant restart is being underpinned by already-secured downstream demand rather than speculative spot exposure.
Most Australia‑based lithium pieces in our recent Mining coverage focus on greenfield growth or major expansions, so bringing an existing asset like the Ngungaju processing plant back online points to Pilbara Minerals favouring lower‑capex, faster‑to‑market capacity additions as prices recover.
The January 2026 contract for village management services at Pilgangoora indicates Pilbara Minerals is locking in broader operational support in Western Australia, which likely reduces execution risk as it juggles both the Ngungaju plant comeback and the ramp‑up of larger lithium expansions.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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