Liontown Managing Director and CEO Tony Ottaviano sat down with LEVRD’s Matt Michael to discuss the Company’s performance during one of the lithium sector’s most challenging periods, the strategic decisions that preserved capital and positioned the business for growth, and what comes next for Australia’s largest underground lithium operation.

The conversation covers Liontown’s navigation of the market downturn, the transformation of the Company’s balance sheet, underground mining performance at Kathleen Valley, and the staged approach to expanding production capacity.

Tony outlined how Liontown commissioned Kathleen Valley on schedule in July 2024 and commenced ramp-up whilst lithium prices collapsed globally, a period marked by takeover approaches, funding pressure and market volatility.

During this period, the Company made disciplined operational decisions, including concentrating mining activity on the Mt Mann ore body, deferring lower-efficiency sections of the mine plan, and processing accumulated low-grade stockpiles to preserve cash flow.

When Kathleen Valley was approved for development, electric vehicles represented the only material demand vector for lithium. Tony highlighted that demand has now diversified across three vectors: EVs, stationary storage, and emerging humanoid robotics applications.

Whilst the Kathleen Valley expansion remains the priority, Tony reinforced Liontown’s intent to diversify beyond a single-asset business over the long term.