PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Australian Vanadium has inked a cooperation and assistance agreement with gold miner Westgold Resources providing water for the Australian Vanadium project, in Western Australia.
Westgold’s Meekatharra gold operations, which are near the Australian Vanadium project, comprise several active and inactive mines. Continuous inflows into a number of these pits and underground mines lead to the generation of significant amounts of water, surplus to Westgold’s requirements, which can be used in processing vanadium ore from the Australian Vanadium project.
In agreement to the water access, the agreement inked between the two companies also provided a platform for collaboration over access and the use of new and existing roads to move ore, materials and products within the two tenement areas.
“Access to excess water flowing into Westgold’s pits allows us to progress the Australian Vanadium project with increasing confidence. Western Australia has limited high quality water resources, so innovative collaborations such as this agreement with Westgold can assist both the Environmental Protection Authority and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation with their water management and environmental custodianship, while allowing this critical project to progress,” said Australian Vanadium MD Vincent Algar.
He noted that the company was continuing to de-risk the Australian Vanadium project, adding that securing access to sufficient quality water resources to use in the mining and crushing, milling and beneficiation plant was one of the highest priorities.
The letter of agreement will progress to a formal agreement within three years, or would expire.
Australian Vanadium is progressing a feasibility study on its namesake project which has been granted Major Project Status by the federal government and State Lead Agency Status by the state government.
A prefeasibility study previously estimated that the project could produce some 900 000 t/y of vanadium pentoxide magnetite concentrate, producing 22.5-million pounds of vanadium pentoxide a year, over an initial 17-year mine life.