Tianqi Lithium Corp. and Albemarle Corp.-owned Talison Lithium Ltd. plans to expand its Greenbushes lithium project in Western Australia with a budget of more than A$600 million, The West Australian reported May 14.

The expansion will double the project's lithium production capacity to 2.3 million tonnes per year, starting in 2021.

The company is already undertaking a A$320 million expansion of the project.

A final decision on the new upgrade is expected in July, with construction expected to start at the end of the year and commissioning of the first new plant in 2020.

Following completion, the new plants will consume about 1.3 million tonnes of Greenbushes' 2.3 million tonnes annual production.