Urqahart HMS processing plant site layout
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Metallica Minerals reported on Wednesday that the new heavy mineral sands (HMS) process plant fabrication and assembly for its A$6.5-million Urquhart Point HMS mine and processing project, near Weipa in Queensland’s western Cape York region, was nearing completion.
The trial assembly of the plant was being undertaken at a South African engineering facility operated by contractor Consulmet.
Metallica reported that its subsidiary company Oresome Australia joint venture (JV) GM Stewart Hagan and a consulting engineer had recently inspected the processing plant components during a visit to Consulmet’s Klerksdorp yard in the country’s North West province.
Following a logistics review, JV parties Oresome Australia and China’s Ozore Resources expected to load the containers on to a ship in Durban next month.
Metallica stated that its site inspections acknowledged that the engineering and fabrication works of the plant and associated equipment undertaken and supplied by Consulmet were “robust and of a good standard”.
On-site civil works on the designated Urquhart Point mining lease just south of Weipa had been prepared in readiness for the arrival of the newly manufactured processing plant.
However, Metallica noted that the mineral sand prices, particularly titanium minerals rutile and ilmenite, continued to decline this year.
Therefore, the JV was monitoring this and periodically reviewing options while continuing to progress the development of the Urquhart Point HMS project on a “more cautious step-by-step or staged approach”.