PERTH (mininweekly.com) – ASX-listed Australian Mines on Thursday said that a Deed of Access for resource extraction had been issued by the Australian Department of Defence, bringing the Scoini nickel/cobalt/scandium project, in North Queensland, one step closer to reality.
Australian Mines MD Benjamin Bell told shareholders that securing the deed added greater certainty to the company’s plans to develop the Sconi project, which is underpinned by compelling economics.
“The deed of Access for Resource Extraction also supports our commitment to making Sconi a source of hundreds of long-term jobs, significant economic growth and infrastructure benefits to Greenvale and North Queensland for at least the next three decades,” said Bell.
The A$1.5-billion two-million tonne a year Sconi project will produce some 7 000 t/y of cobalt sulphate and 46 800 t/y of nickel sulphate over a mine life of 30 years.
The proposed mine would co-exist alongside a military training facility which forms part of the Australia-Singapore military training initiative.