PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Junior Alpha HPA has started commissioning of Stage 1 of its HPA First project, in Queensland.
The Stage 1 precursor production facility (PPF) has now started commissioning ahead of production of HPA’s high purity aluminium precursors, slated for the December quarter of this year.
“The Stage 1 PPF’s mechanical completion and commencement of commissioning less than 12 months since the commencement of construction are major milestones for our company and particularly noteworthy in the challenging construction environment,” said Alpha MD Rimas Kairaitis.
“I congratulate our staff and contractors for their fantastic commitment to the project’s execution in addition to welcoming the many new employees who have joined our operations team as we begin this exciting new phase of the company’s development.”
The A$300-million HPA First project will produce 10 000 t/y of HPA and related high purity precursor products using Alpha’s proprietary licensed solvent extraction and HPA refining technology.
Alpha is in the midst of project financing discussions for the full-scale HPA First project, in the hopes of taking a final investment decision.