Figure 43: Nickel West – Nickel Sulphate Project, Kwinana 43
Source: BHP
Northern Minerals – Heavy Rare Earth (HRE) Pilot Project Northern Minerals Limited commenced development of the Browns Range HRE Pilot Plant Project in northern Western Australia in 2017. Through the development of the Project, Northern Minerals aims to be the first significant world producer of dysprosium outside of China. The Project is 100% owned by Northern Minerals and has several deposits and prospects containing high value dysprosium and other HREs, hosted in xenotime mineralisation. Dysprosium is an essential ingredient in the production of DyNdFeB (dysprosium neodymium ironboron) magnets used in clean energy and high technology solutions. The three-year RandD pilot plant project will commence first production of heavy rare earth carbonate in the first half of 2018. 93 Western Australia Lithium (WAL) refinery – Kwinana Kidman Resources Limited (Kidman) 50:50 joint venture with Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM) called WAL, entered in May 2018 into an exclusive option with Western Australian Land Authority (Landcorp) to lease a site in Kwinana for refinery with an initial annual nameplate capacity of approximately 44,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide or 37,000 tonnes of lithium After positive results of a pre-feasibility study on its Bald Hill lithium-tantalum mine, Tawana Resources will spend $42m on developing the mine to produce 155,000 tonnes per annum of lithium concentrate. Montezuma Mining is currently assessing the Butcherbird-Yanneri Ridge manganese project for battery-grade manganese dioxide. The Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) have indicated that a scoping studying is being conducted, with the CSIRO to design the manganese-dioxide production process. 95 carbonate. Commissioning of the refinery is planned to occur in 2021. 94 12.2 Planned Activity – publicly available information 93 Northern Minerals (2018), “Northern Minerals well placed to capitalise from growing US demand for rare earths”, 01 March 2018, http://northernminerals.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1803-01-NTU-US-rare-earths-demand.pdf . (Accessed: 01 May 2018) 94 Kidman Resources (2018), ASX Annoucement: Refinery Site Location, 04 May 2018, https://wcsecure.weblink.com. au/pdf/KDR/01978746.pdf . (Accessed: 30 May 2018) 95 Beardsmore, T (2018), “Western Australia: Battery Metal Powerhouse”, Geological Society of Western Australia, 23 February 2018, http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/Geological-Survey/09-Western%20Australia%20a%20 battery%20metal%20powerhouse-Trevor%20Beardsmore.pdf . (Accessed: 01 May 2018)
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