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

Location
Western Australia.

Client
Northern Minerals.

Project Description
The Browns Range pilot plant will be used to assess the economic feasibility of a full-scale project and forms part of a broader ongoing feasibility study underpinning the Browns Range rare earths project. The project will focus on the production of dysprosium.

The pilot plant is expected to operate for three years initially, with a throughput of 60 000 t/y. This is about 10% of the size of the full-scale development to assess, refine and confirm the optimal flowsheet.

The ore will be processed from two separate openpits – Wolverine and Gambit West – of varying depths and mineral concentrations to determine the optimal flowsheet for the proposed full-scale development.

Owing to the small volumes involved in the pilot plant project (180 000 t over three years), Northern Minerals has decided to mine all this material in one campaign in 2017, with ore stockpiled on the run-of-mine pad.

During the three-year pilot project, the plant is expected to produce 1 719 000 kg of total rare-earth oxide in a mixed rare-earth carbonate containing 148 200 kg of dysprosium.

The pilot plant is the precursor to the development of a full-scale A$329-million project, which has been modelled over an initial life of 11 years, and which will produce 585 00 t of high-value, heavy rare earths.

Jobs to Be Created
The project is expected to create 50 construction jobs and 45 ongoing operational positions.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

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

Duration
The project will take 11 months to build, with mixed rare-earth carbonate production expected in mid-2018.

Latest Developments
Commissioning of the Browns Range crushing circuit has started.

The commissioning of the crusher circuit is the first phase of commissioning for the Browns Range project, with the pilot plant scheduled for practical completion by the end of June.

“The focus of the team is on completing the installation and moving to the heavy rare-earth carbonate production phase in the September quarter,” Northern MD George Bauk has said.

The pilot plant is expected to produce 573 000 kg of mixed heavy rare-earth carbonate containing terbium and dysprosium as revenue products over a three-year period.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
MACA (bulk earthworks), Primero (turnkey solutions provider) and Sinosteel MECC (engineering, procurement and construction contract).

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.