ASX-listed Corella Resources has unveiled plans for its Tampu project, as it advances its strategic vision of producing high-purity alumina (HPA) using kaolin as a feedstock.
The scoping study for Tampu, in Western Australia, investigated two mutually exclusive scenarios: a 100% kaolin, 200 000 t/y operation or a 100% HPA, 40 000 t/y operation.
The study yielded a net present value of A$1.18-billion for a 100% kaolin operation and A$4.62-billion for a 100% HPA operation.
The study is based on a 24.7-million-tonne indicated and inferred resource with an estimated 58-year mine life.
The kaolin scenario will produce 11.2-million tonnes of final product at a total cost of A$245.35/t, yielding revenue of A$8.98-billion, while the HPA operation will deliver 2.3-million tonnes of final product at a cost of A$15 977/t, yielding revenue of A$63.43-billion.
Corella said Tampu had the potential to become one of the highest quality undeveloped kaolin deposits globally to produce HPA and kaolin for the high-end paint, paper coating, top-end ceramic, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
Corella would now initiate a feasibility study, centering on the processing of HPA precursor kaolin, along with an in-depth examination of product mix and mining operations.
"As I step into my role as CEO at this pivotal juncture marked by the completion of our updated mineral resource estimate and scoping study, I am thrilled by the immense potential that lies within the Tampu project,” said newly appointed CEO Jess Maddren.
He added that the exceptional quality of the Tampu project, when compared with established global Kaolin operations, underscored the company’s confidence in pursuing the transition from a promising discovery to a fully operational mining venture.