Photo by: Bloombeg
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – A prefeasibility study (PFS) into the Barrambie titanium project, in Western Australia, has highlighted the potential for the project to be a low-cost producer of titanium dioxide, vanadium pentoxide and iron-oxide.
Owner Neometals on Tuesday reported that the project would produce an average of 98 000 t/y of titanium dioxide, 2 000 t/y of vanadium pentoxide and 234 000 t/y of iron oxide over a mine life of nearly 20 years.
The project would require a capital investment of some A$549-million and would have a pre-tax net present value of A$355-million and an internal rate of return of 21%.
The PFS evaluated a mine wet plant at Barrambie, treating some 550 000 t/y of ore and producing 308 880 t of magnetic concentrate, which would be transported to Kwinana, where a chemical processing plant would treat the concentrate to produce the final products.
Cash operating costs have been estimated at $572/t.
“We are pleased to have completed another step towards transforming Barrambie into a globally competitive titanium dioxide producer and supplier,” Neometals MD Chris Reed said on Tuesday.
“The next step in the project’s development plan is to complete a full-scale pilot plant test programme before we commit to a feasibility study. In parallel, we will commence a formal partner selection process to commercialise this globally significant project.”
It was hoped that a titanium industry partner would assist in funding and operating the development of the Barrambie project on a shared equity or joint venture basis.