PLS Group reports 86% rise in quarterly spodumene production

Reuters | April 23, 2026 | 3:19 pm Battery Metals Australia Lithium

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Pilbara Minerals’ Pilgangoora lithium operation, Western Australia. (Credit: Pilbara Minerals)

Australia’s PLS Group reported an 86% increase in third-quarter spodumene concentrate production on Friday, driven by high lithium recovery at its Pilgangoora facility.

The company also said it plans to ramp up its Ngungaju plant in Western Australia to steady-state production by the September quarter, with major maintenance overhauls scheduled for June 2026.

The miner reaffirmed its 2026 outlook.

PLS Group, formerly Pilbara Minerals, produced 232,436 dry metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate, used to make lithium, in the three months ended March 31, surpassing last year’s 124,978 dmt and exceeding the Visible Alpha consensus estimate of 215,000 dmt.

The pure-play lithium miner shipped 195,691 dry metric tonnes (dmt) of the mineral during the quarter, compared with 125,468 dmt a year earlier.

(By Sruthi Narasimha Chari and Sherin Sunny; Editing by Vijay Kishore)