Name of the Project
Yangibana rare earths project.

Location
The project is located in the Upper Gascoyne region of Western Australia.

Project Owner/s
Hastings Technology Metals.

Project Description
Yangibana has probable ore reserves estimated at 10.35-million tonnes grading 1.22% total rare-earth oxide, including 0.43% neodymium oxide and praseodymium (January 2019 figures).

The project includes the development of five openpit mines, groundwater abstraction, an on-site processing plant, tailings storage facilities, access and haul roads, as well as supporting infrastructure such as accommodation facilities, administration buildings and an airstrip.

The project proposes the construction of a beneficiation and hydrometallurgy processing plant, which will treat rare earths deposits, predominantly monazite, hosting high neodymium and praseodymium contents to produce a mixed rare earths carbonate that will be further refined into individual rare-earth oxides at processing plants overseas.

The one-million-tonne-a-year operation is expected to produce 15 000 t/y of mixed rare earths concentrate and about 8 850 t/y of total rare-earth oxides over ten years.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an after-tax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of A$447-million and an internal rate of return of 28%, with a payback of 2.6 years.

Capital Expenditure
The project’s cost was revised in March 2019 to $427-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
The environmental permit for the project has been granted, which will enable Hastings to progress the project to produce mixed rare-earth carbonate on site.

This will enable the company to progress into the next stage of the project’s development, which will focus on the final project design and engineering, in readiness to take the project into construction at the end of the year.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Wave International (project management and definitive feasibility study lead); Hastings Technology Metals, Widenbar and Associates (geology and resource evaluation); Southern Geoscience (geophysical Interpretation); Snowden Mining Industry Consultants (reserve estimation, mine planning and design, geotechnical); ATC Williams (tailings management); ALS, ANSTO, KYSPY Met, SGS Minerals (pilot plant and metallurgical testwork); Tetra Tech Proteus (process plant and metallurgical testwork, process plant design, as well as utilities and infrastructure); Wave International (infrastructure); Enperitus Radpro, JHI, Bennelongia, Ecoscape (environment); JDA (surface water hydrology); Groundwater Resource Management (groundwater hydrogeology); Trajectory (mine closure cost estimates); Tetra Tech Proteus and Wave International (capital and operating cost); Hastings Technology Metals, Argus Metals International (market analysis); and Qube Logistics (logistics study).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Hastings Technology Metals, email info@hastingstechmetals.com.