Talison Lithium silent on claims conveyor belt at $880m Greenbushes plant was destroyed by June fire

The owners of a near-$1 billion Greenbushes lithium plant caught up in a fire last month have sidestepped claims the facility’s main conveyor belt was destroyed, with a repair timeline still yet to be revealed.

A blaze ripped through Greenbushes’ third chemical grade plant on June 9, adding to a pile of issues plaguing Australia’s most profitable lithium mine. The chemical plant caught up in the fire was only completed in December at cost of $880 million.

Sources have told The West Australian that the new plant’s primary conveyor belt and key electrical equipment went up in flames, while the crusher was spared. Repairs could take up to six months, those sources said.

Greenbushes near Bunbury is operated by Talison Lithium, a joint venture effectively owned 49 per cent by US giant Albemarle, 26 per cent by Tianqi Lithium and 25 per cent by IGO.

A Talison spokeswoman declined to address specific questions about alleged damage to the conveyor belt and electrical infrastructure, while also withholding an estimated completion date for repairs.

She instead said “remediation work” at the charred plant was “progressing well”.

“Our focus remains on safely advancing the recovery process and supporting ongoing operations.”

The West last year uncovered multiple serious safety issues during the plant’s $880 million construction.

Less than two months before the fire, IGO boss Ivan Vella called out “systemic issues” at Greenbushes more broadly.

“Greenbushes production result this quarter is disappointing,” Mr Vella said at the time.

“Performance has been challenged across a number of metrics including safety, feed grade, recoveries, maintenance execution and plant reliability.

“Many of these issues are systemic and, as part of the strategic options review, programs and initiatives are being implemented to improve and address them.”

Greenbushes generated $623.8 million of net profit for 2025, taking its cumulative bottom line since 2020 to a whopping $10.7b.

But the ageing mine’s heyday appears to be over and problems are piling up.

Greenbushes’ owners are facing mounting pressure from locals in the nearby namesake town over the mine’s dust pollution, which has attracted the attention of WA’s environmental regulator.

The Australian Taxation Office is also currently delving into the bumper profits reaped by Greenbushes’ holding company — Windfield Holdings — in recent years.