Altech commences permitting for Meckering

Altech Chemicals Limited is pleased to announce that it has submitted a project application with the Western Australian Department of Environment Regulation (DER) as part of the permitting requirements for its proposed aluminous clay (kaolin) mine and associated beneficiation plant, at Meckering, Western Australia (the Project).

Highlights
• Altech has commenced permitting for its proposed kaolin mining operation and beneficiation plant at Meckering, Western Australia:
1. Project application accepted by Department of Environment Regulation (DER)
2. DER confirms the next and final stage of permitting prior to construction is Works Approval

• Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) approval also underway:
1. Mining lease application submitted
2. A mining proposal and a mine closure plan are well advanced

• Overall, permitting for both mining and beneficiation is relatively straightforward

The DER has confirmed its acceptance of Altech's project application and confirmed that the next and final permitting requirement for the Meckering beneficiation plant as a Works Approval application, which will also be assessed by the DER. Once the Works Approval is granted, construction of the beneficiation plant can commence. Also, under DER regulations, based on the beneficiation plants processing rate of less than 50,000 tonnes per annum (tpa), the plant may only require registration post construction rather than an application for an Operating Licence.

Concurrent with DER permitting, Altech is advancing mining approvals and an access compensation arrangement for the Project. Mining approvals are regulated by the Western Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) and the Company has already submitted a mining lease application, the first step in the DMP approvals process. Following grant of the mining lease, the Company will submit a Mining Proposal (MP) and a Mine Closure Plan (MCP) and upon approval of these items (and subject to funding), mining operations at Meckering will commence with overburden removal for the establishment of an open pit mine.

The Company anticipates that both the DER and DMP approval processes will be relatively straightforward. There are no other permitting requirements for the Project.

Meckering mining operations

The proposed mining operation at Meckering will be conducted on a 'campaign' basis, once every three years. Approximately 144,000 tonnes of kaolin will be mined each campaign, each mining campaign will last around two months and the mined kaolin will be delivered to a run of mine (ROM) stockpile, proximal to the open pit. Stockpiled kaolin will be fed to the Meckering beneficiation plant at a rate of approximately 48,000 per annum.

Meckering beneficiation

The beneficiation circuit will consist of a wet screening plant to remove oversize silica from the kaolin, then a dryer to reduce moisture levels of the beneficiated product. The Meckering plant will produce approximately 18,565 tonnes of beneficiated aluminous clay per annum, with approximately 20,299 tonnes (wet) of oversize silica sand as waste, which will be returned to the mine void. See Figures 2 and 3 in link below, for the proposed plant designs. The Meckering wet screening plant and dryer will operate on a day shift, five days a week. The final beneficiated aluminous clay product will be transported from Meckering to Fremantle, Western Australia for final shipping to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, where the Company's proposed high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant will be constructed.