Australian Rare Earths has begun pilot-scale processing after being selected as the first industry partner to use the newly opened Australian Critical Minerals Research and Development Hub.
The exploration company, which is advancing the Koppamurra rare earth project in south-east South Australia and western Victoria, prepared 30 tonnes of ore from the project for processing at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s (ANSTO) Sydney facility.
The Federal Government-backed facility is designed to support the development of secure critical minerals supply chains, including by assisting Western nations in developing new sources of rare earths outside China’s established supply base.
Australian Rare Earths (AR3) managing director Travis Beinke said access to the ANSTO facility would allow the company to progress Koppamurra without the cost and time involved in building its own pilot plant.
“The use of ANSTO’s new facility means AR3 will not need to construct its own pilot plant, saving millions of dollars and a substantial amount of time,” Beinke said.
“This will help us accelerate the development of the Koppamurra project by bridging the gap between laboratory testing and full-scale operations.”
The pilot program will involve extracting rare earths from clay to produce a mixed rare earth oxide product, with Australian Rare Earths aiming to provide samples to potential customers globally.
“Processing of the 30 tonnes of ore involves the extraction of rare earths from clay to produce a Mixed Rare Earth Oxide product,” Beinke said.
“Providing samples of this product to potential customers around the world will assist in helping us secure future offtake and investment agreements with partners.
“The pilot will also allow us to formulate a processing roadmap and generate engineering data that will inform the final design of the project.”
Koppamurra is considered one of Australia’s most advanced ionic clay rare earths projects, with Australian Rare Earths now moving towards applying for a mining licence.
The company is also working to finalise a pre-feasibility study, which will assess the project’s preliminary economic viability.
Beinke said being the first industry collaborator to access the new pilot rare earths processing facility strengthened confidence in Koppamurra’s development pathway.
“AR3 is pleased to be the first industry collaborator to access ANSTO’s new world-class pilot rare earth processing facility,” he said.
“This recognition by the Federal Government of Koppamurra’s potential to be a key future player in building critical minerals sovereignty further strengthens confidence in our plans.”
Australian Rare Earths has also received sign-off from the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining on the project’s Scoping Report.
The report outlines the scope of detailed assessments across groundwater, surface water, soils, vegetation, heritage, air quality, rehabilitation and community engagement.
“We are progressing a raft of social, environmental and technical assessments and look forward to sharing results with the community through the Community Consultative Committee (CCC) and directly with key stakeholders,” Beinke said.
“We see an opportunity to create a new industry for South Australia with investment in the south-east region while helping to develop a secure and sustainable rare earth supply chain for renewable energy, electric mobility and defence applications.”
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