Liontown officially opened its flagship Kathleen Valley Lithium Operation on Thursday, July 10, 2025, marking a significant milestone in Australia’s critical minerals journey. “The Official Opening, held not long after the commencement of underground production, celebrated the rapid and responsible development of our world-class asset, operation and partnerships,” Liontown said
Guests, including Federal Minister for Resources Madeleine King and Western Australia’s Minister for Mines and Petroleum David Michael, joined Liontown board members and executives, representatives from key partners, traditional owners and customers bright and early to embark on the short one-hour flight to Kathleen Valley.
Arriving at the iconic Dragonfly Village, the event began with a Welcome to Country and kind words by senior Tjiwarl member and Bundarra Contracting Managing Director Brett Lewis, followed by speeches from Liontown Chair Tim Goyder, Managing Director and CEO Tony Ottaviano, Minister King and Minister Michael. A commemorative plaque was unveiled, formally marking the opening of Kathleen Valley.
A dedication plaque for Kathleen Valley is unveiled by (from the left) Tony
Ottaviano, Tim Goyder, Minister King, and Minister Michael. (Photo: Liontown)
In just under six years, Liontown has taken Kathleen Valley from discovery to production, an achievement far beyond the 15+ year global average. Ramping to an initial 2.8 million mt/y, with preparations already made for a 4 million mt/y expansion in the future, the operation is Australia’s first underground lithium mine and home to one of the country’s largest off-grid hybrid renewable power stations.
“The road to net-zero is built through Australia’s resources and the Kathleen Valley operation is a perfect example of that,” Minister King said. “Kathleen Valley is also setting benchmarks in sustainable mining with renewable energy meeting 80% of the mine’s energy needs,” she added.
“For me personally, the commissioning of the Kathleen Valley Lithium Operation represents a special milestone in my career,” said Goyder. “As someone who has lived and breathed mining and mineral exploration for the better part of 50 years, I can tell you finding an opportunity like Kathleen Valley doesn’t happen often.”
“Today is an important milestone,”
Ottaviano said, “but when it comes to realizing the full value of Kathleen Valley, we are only getting started.”