Impact Minerals plans staged 4,000-tpa HPA production in US

A NewPro study supports a staged 2,000-to-4,000-tonne-per-year high-purity alumina plant on the US Gulf Coast, with a post-tax NPV of about USD373 million and a 42.3 per cent IRR.

Impact Minerals is advancing plans for a modular high-purity alumina (HPA) plant in the US after an independent scoping study identified a preferred development case on the Gulf Coast.

The study, completed by NewPro for Impact's 50 per cent-owned Alluminous Pty Ltd, supports a staged facility starting at 2,000 tonnes per year of HPA and scaling to 4,000 tonnes per year. It models a post-tax NPV₈ of AUD 518 million (USD 373 million) and an internal rate of return of 42.3 per cent, based on an AUD/USD rate of about 0.7206 on September 7, 2026.

The findings strengthen Alluminous' plan to establish its first commercial HPA facility in the US while retaining a technology hub in Perth, Australia.

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US Gulf Coast preferred for first commercial plant

The location also fits Alluminous' strategy of supplying critical materials markets in the US and Australia, while aligning with US policy priorities around domestic critical-materials supply.

The proposed facility would use a capital-light, modular process based on widely available chemical feedstocks. The approach is designed to allow production capacity to be expanded in stages rather than requiring the company to build the full 4,000-tpa operation from the outset.

For Impact Minerals, the strategy provides exposure to the HPA market while limiting the scale of the initial commercial development.

Alluminous advances HPA technology

Alluminous is developing HPA using patented technology and purchased alumina-based chemical feedstocks rather than relying on a conventional mining-to-refining model.

Impact Minerals owns 50 per cent of the company and has historically invested relatively modest amounts to secure exposure to the technology and its potential commercial application.

The company is targeting HPA for critical materials and advanced manufacturing applications, with the US and Australia identified as key markets.

The staged approach would initially establish 2,000 tpa of capacity before potentially doubling output to 4,000 tpa as market and project conditions allow.

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Further work still required

Alluminous plans to undertake further pilot work and product qualification, while also progressing funding and permitting requirements. A final investment decision has yet to be made.

The next phase will therefore focus on demonstrating the technology at the required scale and confirming that the HPA produced can meet customer specifications before commercial development proceeds.

For Impact Minerals, the study provides an economic and development framework for a US-based HPA operation, while the modular model is intended to provide a scalable route into a market increasingly tied to critical-materials supply chains.

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