JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – A recently completed feasibility study at Clean TeQ Holdings’ Syerston scandium project, in New South Wales, has shown that the mine will have an average production of 49.2 t/y scandium oxide (Sc2O3) after an 18-month ramp-up, over an initial 20-year mine life.
Based on a long-term Sc2O3 price of $1 500/kg, the project is set to deliver a post-tax net profit value of A$273-million and 33% post-tax internal rate of return.
Further, the study has estimate capital expenditure to be A$100-million, which includes A$4.47-million contingency.
Clean TeQ reported that it had already entered offtake discussions in global transport and energy sectors for the Sc2O3.
The study was based on a processing plant with designed capacity of 64 000 t/y of ore feed from Syerston’s near-surface resource. The processing plant consists of a high-pressure acid leach circuit, followed by Clean TeQ’s proprietary resin-in-pulp technology for scandium recovery, followed by purification.
The 18-month commissioning and ramp-up period has been allowed with design throughput and production capacity forecast to be achieved in the second year of the mine life.