Hastings has been approved to build a hydrometallurgical plant to process rare earth oxide concentrates into mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC), which contains high levels of neodymium and praseodymium concentrates.
Perth, Australia-based rare earth company Hastings Technology Metals Ltd announced that the Australian Federal Government Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment (DAWE) has completed environmental approval for the construction of the hydrometallurgical plant Onslow Rare Earths Plant, which will be located in (ANSIA), a strategic industrial zone north of Ashburton, near the coastal town of Onslow.
The Onslow rare Earth plant will perform hydrometallurgical processing of rare earth oxide concentrates from the Yangibana rare earth project at Hasting in Gascoigne, Western Australia, to produce mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC). NdPr with high levels of neodymium and praseodymium concentrate (NdPr). (MREC). NdPr is critical in making the permanent magnets needed to make advanced technology products, from electric vehicles to wind turbines, robots, medical and digital devices.
Charles Lew, Executive Chairman of Hastings Technology Metals, said: "this is an important milestone for our Yangibana rare earth project and further supports Hastings's decision last year to decouple the processing plant from the Yangibana mine. Commonwealth environmental approval will enable Hastings to build an Onslow rare earth plant to achieve a full production rate of 15000 tons of MREC per year, thereby releasing the high quality and NdPr-rich rare earth carbonates we will produce at Yangibana. "
"importantly, the federal approval is another positive step for Hastings to become Australia's next rare earth producer," he continued. "debt financing negotiations are progressing smoothly and are scheduled to end by the end of this year, and early civil works at the Yangibana mine are under way."
Construction of the hydrometallurgical plant is scheduled to begin in 2022 after the completion of early work on the Yangibana mine, in line with Hastings' goal of producing its first MREC in early 2024.
