The Yangibana Rare Earth Project, integrating nine mining licences, is located in Wanna Station, approximately 270 km east-northeast of Carnarvon, in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. Six of the MLs, covering an area of 17 sq. km, are 100% owned by Hastings Technology Metals, while the remaining three MLs, covering an area of 31 sq. km, are held by the joint venture of Hastings (70%) and Rare Earth Minerals (REM-30%).
The scoping study for the project was completed in November 2015, the financial analysis for the prefeasibility study (PFS) was completed in April 2016, while the full report of the PFS is expected in May 2016. The final investment decision for the project, followed by the start of construction works, is expected in late-2016, while production is anticipated to be started in early-2018. The mine is estimated to have a life span of seven years. The overall investment to bring the rare earth project into production is estimated to be between A$390 m ($294 m) and A$420 m ($317 m).
The project area primarily consists of granites of the Durlacher Supersuite, with rafts of older sedimentary rocks found within these intrusives. The monazite mineralization at the site is primarily hosted in narrow and outcropping ironstone dykes. The iron stones form part of an extensive rare earth element-mineralized system associated with the Gifford Creek Carbonatite Complex. The project will involve the development of the Bald Hill South, Fraser's, and Yangibana West and North deposits. As of 2015, the project was estimated to hold combined indicated and inferred resources of 12.36 million tonnes (Mt) grading 1.10% total rare earth oxides, containing 2,750 parts per million of neodymium oxide (Nd2O3), 726 ppm of praseodymium oxide (Pr2O3), 48 ppm of dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3), and 75 ppm of europeam oxide (Eu2O3). The mining method envisaged for the project is the open-pit mining method integrating standard drill and blast, truck and shovel, etc.
Original working URL: https://www.mining-technology.com/projects/yangibana-rare-earth-project-gascoyne-region/
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