Impact Minerals appears poised to advance a major low-cost High Purity Alumina (HPA) project, following promising findings from a pre-feasibility study on its Lake Hope venture in Western Australia. The study suggests the project could rank among the world’s most cost-effective HPA producers.
Situated approximately 500 kilometres southeast of Perth, Lake Hope boasts robust economic potential, with a net present value estimated at $1.165 billion. Lake Hope’s maiden ore reserve stands at 1.7 million tonnes, grading 26 per cent aluminium oxide, equating to 450,000 tonnes of contained alumina.
“In just over two short years since acquiring the rights to the project, we have proven that Lake Hope’s unique natural feedstock, combined with a straightforward flowsheet, offers one of the most capital-efficient and environmentally responsible pathways to high-purity alumina production globally,” Impact Minerals managing director Mike Jones said.
With plans for steady-state production of 10,000 tonnes of High Purity Alumina (HPA) per year after a two-year ramp-up, the project is positioned to become a significant HPA producer over an initial 33-year mine life. Impact Minerals is now set to acquire an 80 per cent stake in Playa One, which owns Lake Hope and two key related patents. The next phase will involve initiating a definitive feasibility study, which includes the development of a pilot plant.
“The project’s strong margins, minimal carbon footprint, and ability to deliver 4N product without critical reagents or complex processing provides us with a clear competitive advantage as the HPA market enters a phase of rapid growth. With the PFS now complete, our next steps are clear: we will advance the detailed engineering required to bring Lake Hope into production, which will revolve around our exciting federal government co-funded membrane research project now underway in conjunction with Edith Cowan University and CPC Engineering,” added Jones.
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