The Minerals Commission of Ghana awarded a mine operating permit to Atlantic Lithium for the Ewoyaa project.  

The awarding of the Mine Operating Permit (MOP) by the Mineral Commission of Ghana will now allow Atlantic Lithium and joint venture partner Piedmont Lithium to continue development of the Ewoyaa project with full regulatory approval.  The awarding of the MOP comes shortly after Atlantic and Piedmont received an Environmental Permit from the Ghanaian Environmental Protection Agency in September.  The ratification of Ewoyaa’s Mining lease by the Ghanian parliament remains, though this may be completed when the Ghanaian parliament resumes in mid-October 2024.   

The Ewoyaa project has been under development by Atlantic Lithium and joint development partner Piedmont Lithium since the two parties signed a supply agreement in 2021. Piedmont invested US$17M in the project development in 2023 to increase its shareholding to 22.5%, with an option to increase its ownership of Ewoyaa project and Atlantic’s other assets further to 50%. The two parties completed a definitely feasibility study (DFS) for the project in June 2023, which evaluated an operation producing 365ktpy spodumene concentrates over a 12-year life of mine.  

A final investment decision for Ewoyaa has yet to be decided by Atlantic and Piedmont, though the awarding of the environmental permit and MOP in recent months has significantly derisked project development. The Ewoyaa project is set to form a key source of feedstock to Piedmont’s proposed US-based processing facilities, based at its Carolina Lithium site in North Carolina after the ‘consolidation’ of the proposed Tennessee lithium facility.