PERTH (miningweekly.com) - ASX-listed tungsten miner Hazelwood Resources on Wednesday reported that first saleable product from its ATC ferrotungsten project, in Vietnam, was expected during the March quarter of this year.
Around 75% of the requisite feedstock for furnace start-up had now been ordered, and final negotiations for the balance of the feedstock was in progress, with the material expected to arrive on-site during February and March.
Stage 1 of the ATC plant has a nameplate capacity of 4 000 t/y of ferrotungsten alloy, equivalent to 3 000 t/y of contained tungsten. A second stage, if completed, would have sufficient capacity to supply around 25% of the world’s ferrotungsten.
The ATC ferrotungsten project is the largest-capacity plant outside of China.
Hazelwood said on Wednesday that the site laboratory was currently being commissioned and newly recruited personnel were receiving training. Production workforce recruitment was continuing.
Meanwhile, drilling had resumed at Hazelwood’s Cookes Creek project, in East Pilbara, targeting electromagnetic conductors that were considered prospective for nickel sulphide and base metals.
Drilling results from a campaign conducted near the Anomaly Hill nickel sulphide discovery were expected shortly.