Name of the Project
Browns Range heavy earths pilot plant development project.

Location
Western Australia.

Project Owner/s
Northern Minerals.

Project Description
The project has been separated into three development stages and enables Northern Minerals to test the process and market the mixed rare-earth carbonate product, then develop the project to bankable feasibility study (BFS) level and finally build the full-scale operation.

Stage 1 includes the construction of a three-year, 60 000 t/y pilot plant operation. It will comprise an opencut mining operation, with processing through a beneficiation and hydrometallurgical pilot plant to produce 49 000 kg/y dysprosium in 590 000 kg/y total rare-earth oxide (TREO) contained in a mixed rare-earth carbonate. This stage is important to derisk the operation by testing the process and improving the knowledge of grade control and the poject’s geology.

Stage 2 involves developing the project to BFS level, based on the definitive feasibility study completed in March 2015; and on the results of the studies, announced on August 27, 2015, aimed at reducing mining costs, boosting production, producing a premium product and increasing the ore reserve.

The final stage involves building the project to full-scale production based on the successful outcomes of stages 1 and 2. Once at full-scale, the project will process 585 000 t/y to produce 279 000 kg of dysprosium contained within 3 098 000 kg/y TREO (before yttrium rejection) in a mixed rare-earth carbonate.

Potential Job Creation
The project is expected to create 50 construction jobs and 45 ongoing operational positions.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
The project has a capital cost of A$56-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Construction of Stage 1 is expected to take about nine months once product offtake and funding are in place.

Latest Developments
Northern Minerals has launched a scoping study to investigate the downstream processing of mixed rare earths into separated rare-earth oxides.

US-based K-Technologies has been selected to assess the suitability of Northern Minerals’ proprietary technology to separate intermediate mixed rare earths material from the Browns Range project into targeted individual rare-earth oxides.

If adopted, the technology will enable Northern Minerals to produce separated rare-earth oxides, including dysprosium oxide and terbium oxide, rather than a mixed heavy rare-earth carbonate that currently requires separation in China.

The investigation of separation technology is a natural extension of the existing pilot plant studies.

A sample of the Browns Range product will be sent to K-Tech this month, and initial testwork results are expected in the December quarter. If the bench-scale testwork and the scoping study are successful, the company will undertake a pilot testwork programme and install the technology as part of the current pilot plant project at Browns Range to assess the saleability of the differentiated product to an end-user customer base.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
MACA (bulk earthworks), Primero (turnkey solutions provider); Sinosteel MECC (engineering, procurement and construction contract); and K-Technologies (scoping study).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Northern Minerals, tel +61 8 9481 2344, fax +61 8 9481 5929 or email info@northernminerals.com.au.