The first feed material from the Mt Weld mine has been introduced into the A$730-million Kalgoorlie rare earths processing facility, marking the facility’s transitioning from the commissioning phase to first production.
The Kalgoorlie facility is Australia’s first value-added rare earths processing facility, making it a significant project for Lynas and the Australian critical minerals industry, says CEO and MD Amanda Lacaze.
The mixed rare earth carbonate from the Kalgoorlie processing facility will be progressively introduced to the Lynas Malaysia plant from late in the March quarter.
In October, Malaysia issued Lynas with a variation to its operating licence, allowing the continued importation and processing of lanthanide concentrate from the Mt Weld mine.
The Lynas Malaysia plant is currently idled as work to increase downstream processing capacity is completed and production will restart in January.