Liontown (ASX:LTR) shares rose 1% in recent trade after it blasted the first of three new underground portals at its Kathleen Valley lithium operation in Western Australia, according to a Monday statement.

The new portals provide access to Kathleen's Corner underground from the open pit, the statement said.

The company said the milestone is a key step toward lifting production by mining two orebodies concurrently.

Once all three portals are complete, Kathleen Valley will have nine portals in total, it added.