Australia is the world’s largest lithium miner. The USGS estimates Australian production at about 82,700 t of lithium in 2024 and 92,000 t in 2025, roughly a third of the world total (excluding the US). Almost all of it is spodumene concentrate from Western Australia.
The main mines
| Mine | Region | Owners |
|---|---|---|
| Greenbushes | South-West WA | Talison Lithium: Albemarle 49%, Tianqi/IGO joint venture 51% |
| Pilgangoora | Pilbara | PLS Group (formerly Pilbara Minerals) 100% |
| Wodgina | Pilbara | Mineral Resources 50%, Albemarle 50% |
| Mt Marion | Goldfields | Mineral Resources 50%, Ganfeng 50% |
| Mt Holland (Earl Grey) | Yilgarn, south of Southern Cross | Covalent Lithium: SQM 50%, Wesfarmers 50% |
| Kathleen Valley | Goldfields | Liontown Resources |
| Bald Hill | Goldfields | Mineral Resources (restarted 2026) |
| Mt Cattlin | South coast | Rio Tinto (ex-Arcadium); placed in care and maintenance |
| Finniss | Northern Territory | Core Lithium (restarted 2026) |
Why Australia leads
Western Australia has large, high-grade pegmatite deposits, established mining services, ports and a stable permitting regime. Spodumene mines can also ramp up and down faster than brine operations, which is why Australian supply reacts quickly to prices, in both directions.
The 2024–2026 cycle
When prices collapsed in 2024, several higher-cost operations were idled or slowed, including Bald Hill, Mt Cattlin and Finniss, and Albemarle scaled back its Kemerton hydroxide refinery. As spodumene climbed above US$2,000/t in early 2026, restarts followed: Bald Hill resumed after an 18-month suspension and Core Lithium restarted Finniss, according to market reports in September 2026. Those restarts were one reason prices eased in September.
Downstream processing
Most Australian concentrate is shipped to China for conversion. Two hydroxide refineries operate near Perth: Kwinana (Tianqi/IGO) and Kemerton (Albemarle), and Covalent is building a refinery for Mt Holland output. These plants have faced cost and ramp-up challenges, underlining how hard it is to build lithium refining outside China.
Market influence
Australian spodumene prices (FOB Australia) are a key benchmark, and auctions by producers such as PLS Group act as price-discovery events. Latest level: spodumene price.
Rewritten in October 2026 to correct errors in the original article (for example, Greenbushes is in the South-West of Western Australia, not the Pilbara, and Australia’s share of world output is about a third, not half).
Sources
- USGS, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Lithium (February 2026)
- Trading Economics, Lithium (China lithium carbonate, CNY/t) (value for 30 September 2026)
- Argonaut, “Spodumene surges beyond US$2,000/t” (13 January 2026)