King River opt Kwinana Industrial area for HPA production project

King River Resources selected the Kwinana Industrial Area as the preferred site for its planned production project of High Purity Alumina (HPA) following the discussion with the Western Australian Government.

The exploration mining company in November’20 decided to modify its planned production of HPA facility from the Speewah speciality metals project south of Kununurra in the Kimberley to an industrial site using the company’s HPA project on aluminium chemical feedstock from other industrial processes.

The company confirmed the Kwinana industrial site after considering other industrial sites in WA and Queensland

King River detailed Kwinana as WA’s foremost industrial area as it is well catered by transport links and with deep-water bulk port facilities, freight routes and a heavy rail network.

One of the biggest advantages that Kwinana complex holds is the abundance of availability of skilled workers and hosts specialist centres for chemical and resource-based processing, marine engineering and shipbuilding.

King River is currently involved in discussions with the WA Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation and also Development WA on land sale and leasing issues.

The company has already appointed an environmental consultant who is experienced with the Kwinana industrial area for site selection and acquiring essentials permits as required for an HPA plant. It is anticipated that the environmental and permitting investigation should be wrapped within mid-January 2021.

Como Engineers, whose core focus is to deliver engineering services and specialist products to the Mining and Resource sector are redesigning and costing a process flowsheet on what has been described as the simplified metallurgical process network and expects to have preliminary design and costing by mid-January.

King River said: “The proposed production circuit would be similar to the original blueprint for the Speewah operation and would not require the development of associated mining, processing and logistical infrastructure in the Kimberley.”

Anthony Barton, Chairman, King River Resources, said: “While the Speewah mine development test work and studies will continue; the pre-feasibility study will focus on an industrial site at Kwinana using the company’s HPA process on aluminium chemical feedstock derived from other industrial processes.”