Name of the Project
Cadoux high-purity alumina (HPA) project.

Location
Cadoux and Kwinana district of Western Australia.

Project Owner/s
FYI Resources.

Project Description
An updated definitive feasibility study (DFS) has defined a clear pathway for the development to commercial production of high-quality, high-purity 4N (purity level of 99.99%) and 5N (purity level of 99.999%) HPA suitable for light-emitting diodes and lithium-ion battery markets.

Production is estimated at 8 500 t/y of 4N HPA and 1 500 t/y of 5N HPA for a total of 10 000 t/y of HPA. The project has a 25-year mine life.

Potential Job Creation
The project is expected to create 200 jobs during construction and 140 ongoing jobs over the life of the project.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an after-tax net present value (NPV), at an 8% discount rate, of $1.01-billion and an internal rate of return of 55%, with a payback of 3.2 years. The NPV reflects the major technical improvements, substantial project derisking and other key commercial developments accomplished since the initial DFS was completed in 2020.

Capital Expenditure
Project capital expenditure is estimated at $202-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
FYI Resources and aluminium major Alcoa Australia have reported that they will undertake an extended HPA trial production run at FYI’s HPA facility.

The production run will be the second joint pilot plant trial between FYI and Alcoa under an agreement signed in October this year to jointly develop FYI’s HPA project.

The joint development is expected to unlock significant project value by combining Alcoa's technical expertise and experience in the construction and operation of refining facilities with FYI's innovative HPA processing flowsheet, industry knowledge and customer contacts.

The second production run is intended to have an extended operating time of two weeks, followed by a one-week operational assessment period, and then another two weeks of operations.

The extended pilot plant trial will assist with the development of the HPA process flowsheet by demonstrating operating efficiencies and process refinements drawn from the continuous improvement programme from previous trials. The extended pilot run will also produce HPA that will be used for further detailed product assessment by prospective customers and offtake partners.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
FYI Resources, tel +61 8 9313 3920 or email info@fyiresources.com.au.