Impact Minerals Limited (ASX: IPT) has entered the final quarter of FY 2025 with Lake Hope firmly established as its flagship high-purity alumina (HPA) asset. A maiden Mineral Resource Estimate of 2.78 million tonnes at 25.1 per cent Al₂O₃ not only confirms the scale and grade of the deposit, but also underpins what the company describes as a “multi-decade HPA operation” in one of Western Australia’s most bedrock-secure jurisdictions.
Over the three months to March 31, Impact clinched an AUD 2.87 million CRC-P grant to co-fund the pilot-plant design and construction in partnership with CPC Engineering and Edith Cowan University (ECU).
That partnership has now recruited a senior membrane researcher, whose initial focus will be to dial in the first-stage leaching conditions of Lake Hope ore. By accelerating the scale-up of its membrane-based process, branded HiPurA®, following Impact’s 50 per cent farm-in of Alluminous Pty Ltd, the company is set to demonstrate a pathway to producing more than 10,000 tpa of >99.99 per cent Al₂O₃ by 2026.
Technical work has also matured rapidly. During Q3, the pre-feasibility study team wrapped up a series of process testwork programmes that fine-tuned operating parameters. Those results have now fed directly into mine scheduling, plant design and both capital- and operating-cost estimates, paving the way for an Ore Reserve declaration.
Management anticipates completing the full PFS in Q2 FY 2025, at which point the financial model will be fully populated and ready for board review.
In parallel, Impact continued its investor outreach. Managing Director Dr Mike Jones presented the latest metallurgical findings and project timeline at the Paydirt Battery Minerals Conference before hosting a dedicated webinar. The timing was opportune: investors backed an AUD 3.63 million rights issue, providing fresh capital not only for Lake Hope’s pilot activities but also for maiden drilling at the Caligula copper-nickel-PGE target in Western Australia.
The financial snapshot for the quarter reveals disciplined stewardship of funds. Exploration expenditure totalled AUD 486,000, while corporate and administration costs came in at AUD 522,000. Payments to directors, including salaries, fees and superannuation, amounted to AUD 128,000. As of March 31, 2025, the company held AUD 3.75 million in cash, positioning it comfortably to execute the PFS and advance pilot-plant preparations.
By securing federal funding, locking in proprietary HiPurA® technology and defining a robust resource base, Impact Minerals has laid the groundwork for scale-up just as demand for HPA in battery, LED and semiconductor markets surges. With its PFS due next quarter and pilot-plant commissioning on the horizon, Lake Hope is shaping up to be more than a crown jewel, it could become a cornerstone of Australia’s emerging HPA supply chain.
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