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Culpeo Minerals Limited (Culpeo or the Company) (ASX:CPO, OTCQB:CPORF) is pleased to announce that additional results returned from drillhole CMLCD014 have increased the intersection of near-surface, high-grade copper mineralisation to 454m @ 0.93% CuEq. This significant intersection includes several wide zones of high-grade molybdenum mineralisation. Drilling in CMLCD014 continues, targeting the potential for further porphyry- hosted copper mineralisation at depth at Culpeo’s Lana Corina Project (Lana Corina)1, Chile.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Additional assay results returned from drillhole CMLCD014 increase the copper intersection to 454m @ 0.93% CuEq from 90m (Figure 1, 3, 4, and Appendix B and C).
- This intersection now includes the following high-grade zones:
Figure 1: Example of high-grade copper mineralisation in hole CMLCD014, 1.74% CuEq (416m to 418m).
Table 1: CMLCD014 Significant Copper Sampling Results“The reported composite intersections for the drilling are generally calculated over intervals >0.2% CuEq and where zones of internal dilution are not weaker than 2m < 0.1% CuEq, no top cut has been applied. Bulked thicker intercepts may have more internal dilution between high-grade zones. Isolated mineralised intersections less than 2m in downhole length have not been reported”.
- Additionally, three zones of associated high-grade molybdenum mineralisation have been delineated within drill hole CMLCD014 (Figure 2, 3, 4 and Appendix C):
Table 2: CMLCD014 Significant Molybdenum Sampling Results“The reported composite intersections for the drilling are generally calculated over intervals >100ppm Mo and where zones of internal dilution are not weaker than 2m <50ppm Mo, no top cut has been applied. Bulked thicker intercepts may have more internal dilution between high-grade zones. Isolated mineralised intersections less than 2m in downhole length have not been reported”.
Figure 2: Example of high-grade molybdenum mineralisation in hole CMLCD014, 4,350ppm Mo (1.70% CuEq) (498m to 500m).
- The mineralised zone has expanded the known surface-projected footprint to 600m x 400m and to a depth of 800m and remains open in all directions.
- Drilling at Lana Corina continues, with hole CMLCD014 currently at a depth of 870m. Assays are outstanding for 96m, with further results expected within four weeks.
Culpeo Minerals’ Managing Director, Max Tuesley, commented:
“These latest drill results, along with the 13 previous holes, confirms the presence of a high- grade breccia and porphyry hosted mineralised system of significant scale at Lana Corina.
The Culpeo team is very excited by the results so far, demonstrating the existence of a large Cu-Mo porphyry system, which remains open in all directions.
With further assay results expected at Lana Corina, more drilling planned at Vista Montana and Fortuna to commence in the coming months, we look forward to rapidly defining additional high grade copper mineralisation across our highly prospective projects.”
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This article includes content from Culpeo Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
CPO:AU
Dore Copper Mining
Investor Insight
Doré Copper Mining is advancing high-grade projects in the Chibougamau region through a hub-and-spoke strategy centered around its flagship high-grade copper Corner Bay deposit, leveraging its unique advantage of owning the only mill in the area, while benefiting from supportive communities and existing infrastructures.
Overview
Doré Copper Mining (TSXV:DCMC,OTCQB:DRCMF,FRA:DCM) is a copper-gold exploration and development company, positioning itself as a near-term producer in the prolific Chibougamau region of Québec, Canada. With a clear strategic focus, Doré Copper Mining is actively advancing its assets toward production, taking advantage of its brownfields high-grade copper and gold projects, existing infrastructure, and supportive jurisdiction. The company’s overarching goal is to establish itself as Quebec’s next copper producer, with a hub-and-spoke mining strategy centered around its Copper Rand mill.
Doré Copper Mining's operations are located in the Chibougamau mining camp, an area known for its historical copper and gold production, within the world-renowned Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The company’s flagship asset, Corner Bay, is complemented by several other projects, including Devlin, Joe Mann, Cedar Bay, and Copper Rand. These properties form the foundation of Doré Copper Mining’s near-term and future production plans.
The company is unique because it owns the only mill in the area. The Copper Rand mill is designed to process an average of 1,350 tonnes-per-day and will need to be refurbished. This infrastructure gives Doré Copper Mining a significant competitive advantage, both in terms of reducing capital expenditure requirements and potentially generating additional revenue streams by processing ore from third-party operations.
Québec, as a mining jurisdiction, provides strong support for mineral exploration and development. It ranks highly in the Fraser Institute’s rankings of mining-friendly jurisdictions, offering political stability, favorable tax incentives, and access to well-established infrastructure, including roads, rail, and power.
Doré Copper Mining is led by an experienced and highly skilled management team. Ernie Mast, the company’s president and CEO, has over three decades of experience in the mining industry, including leadership roles at companies such as Primero Mining and Minera Panama (Inmet Mining). Mast’s background in managing junior and small-cap mining companies is well-suited to Doré Copper Mining’s current development phase. The broader management and technical teams bring a wealth of operational expertise, with several individuals having extensive experience in exploration, project development, and mining operations in Canada and internationally.
Company Highlights
- Doré Copper Mining’s hub-and-spoke mining model—using the Copper Rand mill as the central processing facility for its satellite deposits—would support an initial production target of more than 50 million pounds of copper equivalent annually, with a mine life exceeding 10 years.
- A Preliminary Economic Assessment( PEA) was released in 2022 outlining a relatively modest initial capital expenditure of C$180.6 million, highlighting the economic potential of the project with an after-tax net present value (NPV) of C$193 million and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 22.1 percent.
- A feasibility study is underway, which is expected to provide more detailed engineering data and further de-risk the operations
- Corner Bay, the flagship asset, is among the highest-grade copper deposits in North America, with an indicated resource of 2.6 million tonnes at a grade of 2.66 percent copper and an inferred resource of 5.8 million tonnes at a grade of 3.44 percent copper.
- The 100 percent owned Copper Rand mill will be refurbished for future production and will be the only operating mill in the Chibougamau region. The mill will have extra capacity and provides the ability to process its own ore while potentially offering toll milling services to other nearby mining projects.
- Doré Copper Mining is led by an experienced and highly skilled management team.
Key Projects
Doré Copper Mining’s assets are located within a well-known copper and gold mining region, with a long history of production. The company’s current strategy revolves around a hub-and-spoke model, with the Copper Rand mill serving as the processing hub, fed by multiple satellite deposits. The key projects in the PEA include Corner Bay, Devlin, and Joe Mann. Other past producing mines, like Cedar Bay and Copper Rand, have further exploration potential.
Corner Bay (Main Asset):
Corner Bay is the cornerstone of Doré Copper Mining’s portfolio. This copper-gold deposit has demonstrated exceptional grades and exploration potential, positioning it as one of the highest-grade copper projects in North America. The latest resource estimate, as of 2022, includes 2.7 million tonnes of indicated resources at a grade of 2.66 percent copper and 5.8 million tonnes of inferred resources at a grade of 3.44 percent copper. The deposit remains open in several directions and at depth, suggesting that further drilling could potentially expand the resource base and extend the mine life.
Corner Bay is expected to be mined by longhole open stoping with pillars and Avoca underground mining methods. The project will utilize existing infrastructure, including a portal and decline to a depth of 115 meters. The ore will be processed at the Copper Rand mill, with pre-concentration of the material through ore sorting technology at the Corner Bay site.
The PEA for the project anticipates a mine life of over 10 years, with the potential to produce 53 million pounds of copper equivalent annually. Metallurgical testing at Corner Bay has yielded positive results, with copper recoveries ranging from 96.8 percent to 98.2 percent, and the concentrate is of high commercial quality, making it highly attractive to smelters.
Devlin (Secondary Asset):
Devlin is a smaller satellite deposit located approximately 10 kilometers west of Corner Bay. The project has a measured and indicated resource of 775,000 tonnes at a grade of 2.17 percent copper, along with an inferred resource of 484,000 tonnes at a grade of 1.79 percent copper. While Devlin’s size is modest compared to Corner Bay, it plays a crucial role in Doré Copper Mining’s hub-and-spoke mining strategy. Ore from Devlin will be transported to Corner Bay for pre-concentration, before being trucked to the Copper Rand mill for final processing. The company is planning to employ room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill mining methods at Devlin, with operations expected to commence shortly after Corner Bay comes online.
Cedar Bay:
Cedar Bay is a past-producing mine located near the Copper Rand mill. It produced 3.9 million tonnes of ore at an average grade of 1.63 percent copper and 3.21 grams per tonne gold during its operating life. Doré Copper Mining drilling programs have defined in the southwest zone 130,000 tonnes of indicated resources at a grade of 9.44 grams per tonne gold and 1.55 percent copper, and 230,000 tonnes of inferred resources at a grade of 8.32 grams per tonne gold and 2,13 percent copper .
Joe Mann:
The Joe Mann gold-copper deposit is another component of Doré Copper Mining’s hub-and-spoke strategy. Located 60 km south of the Copper Rand mill, Joe Mann produced 1.2 million ounces of gold and 28 million pounds of copper over its mine life, at an average grade of 8.26 grams per tonne gold and 0.25 percent copper. The current resource estimate includes 608,000 tonnes of inferred resources, with an average grade of 6.78 grams per tonne gold and 0.24 percent copper. The PEA plan is to have Joe Mann operational once Devlin is depleted, and its ore will also be processed at the Copper Rand mill.
Copper Rand:
Copper Rand was historically the largest copper mine in the Chibougamau camp, producing over 16 million tonnes of ore during its operational life, which spanned from 1959 to 2008. The mine has excellent exploration potential, particularly at depth, where limited drilling was conducted before the mine’s closure. Copper Rand has historical reserves and resources, and excellent potential below previously mined areas.
Board and Management
Mario Stifano – Executive Chairman and Director
Mario Stifano is a seasoned mining executive and chartered professional accountant with over 16 years of experience working with exploration, development and producing mining companies. Stifano is currently the chief executive officer of Galantas Gold. Stifano has held a number of senior executive positions including chief executive officer of Cordoba Minerals, executive chairman with Mega Precious Metals, vice president and chief financial officer with Lake Shore Gold, and vice president and chief financial officer of Ivernia. Stifano has been instrumental in raising over $700 million to explore and fund mining projects, including raising over $500 million at Lake Shore Gold, to develop three gold mines which are currently producing over 180,000 ounces of gold annually, and are now part of the Canadian assets within Pan American Silver.
Ernest Mast – President, CEO, and Director
Ernest Mast has 30 years of experience in various technical and executive roles in the mining industry, across a wide range of commodities, geographies and development stages. Mast is on the board of Scottie Resources. Mast previously held the positions of president and chief executive officer at Primero Mining, vice president of corporate development at Copper Mountain Mining, vice president of operations at New Gold and president and CEO of Minera Panama S.A., Inmet Mining Corporation’s subsidiary, developing the $6 billion Cobre Panama project. Mast began his career with Noranda and its affiliates, where he took on roles of increasing responsibility over a 20-year timeframe. Mast is a member of l’Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and has a bachelors’ and masters’ degree in metallurgical engineering from McGill University. Mast also received post-secondary business training at Henley College in the UK and at the Universidad Catolica in Chile.
Gavin Nelson – CFO
Gavin Nelson has over 15 years of finance experience in public practice and corporate accounting and reporting, including being responsible for all levels of financial reporting and day-to-day accounting oversight for several public mining exploration companies. Nelson has held a number of financial oversight positions in mineral exploration companies, including chief financial officer of Mexican Gold. Nelson is a member in good standing of the chartered professional accountants of Ontario. Nelson holds a Bachelor of Administrative and Commercial Studies (Finance), with a minor in Political Science, from the University of Western Ontario.
Nicholas Kwong – COO
Nicholas Kwong, P.Eng., MBA, has more than 15 years of corporate, technical, operations experience in the mining industry, predominantly in gold and base metals in North American, Australia, Latin American and Saudi Arabia. Most recently, Kwong was general manager at Ma’aden Gold’s’ Sukhaybarat & Bulghah gold mines in Saudi Arabia. There he completed the mine and mill expansion and modernization which resulted in a significant increase in production and decrease in unit costs, all while controlling capital costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior, he worked at New Gold from 2005 to 2019 in progressively responsible leadership and management roles, starting as a project engineer for the design and construction of the New Afton underground mine and gradually progressing to manager of mining engineering and director of technical services.
Kwong holds a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Mining Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the University of British Columbia.
Impact Minerals Limited
Investor Insight
With a mining lease application underway and a scoping study that shows excellent economics, Impact Minerals’ game-changing, advanced Lake Hope high-purity alumina project makes for a compelling investment case.
Overview
Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT) is an exploration and development mining company focused on discovering and developing new resource projects within Australia. Lake Hope, a transformational acquisition by the company and its current flagship asset, is a high-purity alumina (HPA) project in Impact’s home territory of Western Australia, a tier-one jurisdiction.
This advanced-stage project allows the company to fast-track the asset toward development, firmly establishing the company on the road to production and increasing shareholder value.
HPA is a high-value product with various uses in several industries that are key to the transition to a low-carbon world. It is mainly used in LED lighting, micro-LED screens, and ceramic-coated separators in lithium-ion batteries. Both these markets are forecast to grow dramatically over the next decade, and a looming supply shortage is predicted for 2026.
HPA is also necessary for producing synthetic sapphire and scratch-resistant glass. With these ever-widening applications for HPA, demand for this resource is expected to grow from US$3.18 billion to US$12.21 billion by 2030 with a compounded annual growth rate of about 20 percent.
Lake Hope is the company’s current focus as it moves towards production, and where a very shallow, high-grade resource of HPA precursor material has been identified in the top two meters of a dry salt lake. The deposit has unique physical and chemical properties that will allow for inexpensive digging and mining, with transportation to a processing facility off-site in an established industrial area. This will accelerate the approvals processes required to get into production.
With a mining lease application pending, Impact aims to bring Lake Hope, which contains almost 1 million tons of potential HPA, into production when the forecast average price for 4N HPA (99.99 percent Al2O3) and related products is about US$20,000 per ton. The ‘4N’ designation indicates the purity grade, making it suitable for high-tech end uses.
Outstanding economics from the latest scoping study released by the company shows Lake Hope’s potential to be the lowest-cost producer of HPA globally by up to 50 percent.
Lake Hope has a maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 3.5 million tons at 25.1 percent alumina (Al2O3) for a contained 880,000 tons of alumina. The company also received heritage clearances for the entire Lake Hope deposit further de-risking the project and providing another critical component in the company’s application for a mining lease.
Impact completed a bulk sampling and test pits program at the Lake Hope project in December 2023, and later reached a key milestone by producing HPA greater than 99.99 percent (4N) purity from the metallurgical processing of lake clays acquired from Lake Hope.
In February 2024, a new proprietary metallurgical process for producing HPA from the lake clays was identified. Impact produced 99.99 percent (4N) Al2O3 from a low-temperature leach (LTL) process. The LTL process may lower the capital and operating costs to produce HPA compared to the sulphate process which underpinned the recent scoping study. The LTL process will be included in the ongoing pre-feasibility study in parallel with the sulphate process at marginal extra cost to determine the best processing route to HPA. The PFS is due to be completed in late 2024.
A comparison of the LTL process and the sulphate process
The company is well funded to finance the pre-feasibility study at the Lake Hope High Purity Alumina project and exploration activities at the Arkun battery minerals project.
Impact Minerals has been awarded a $2.87 million grant for the commercialisation of its innovative process to produce High Purity Alumina (HPA) from the Lake Hope deposit. The grant is under the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) program which fosters short-term, industry-led research collaborations. The grant is part of an estimated $6.4 million research and development project to be completed within three years and designed to provide Impact with the relevant information required to complete a definitive feasibility. A key component of the grant funding will be to construct a pilot plant, which is a key goal for 2025, and this will provide consistent material for off-take and qualification trials.
Impact Minerals was also one of the inaugural cohort of seven companies selected to be part of the prestigious BHP Xplor program. BHP Xplor, an accelerator program introduced by BHP in August 2022, is designed to help provide participants with the opportunity to accelerate their growth and the potential to establish a long-term partnership with BHP and its global network of partners.
The BHP Xplor funding was used to identify new target areas for copper and other energy metals around the Broken Hill area in New South Wales, eastern Australia, where Impact has been quietly adding to its ground position for several years.
Additionally, the company is exploring its large Arkun battery metals project, also in Western Australia which covers nearly 2,900 square kilometres. Three new exploration licence applications were submitted recently immediately north of the Arkun project along trend from the recently discovered REE soil geochemistry anomalies at Hyperion, Swordfish and Horseshoe, and the Caligula copper anomaly. These anomalies require drill testing which will occur in 2024 and is an exciting development in the emerging mineral province of southwest WA.
A strong management team with over 50 years of combined industry experience leads the company. With a mining and exploration geology degree, Dr. Mike Jones, managing director, launched a long career consulting and leading mining organizations. Peter Unsworth, the non-executive chairman, has more than 35 years of experience in multiple financial sectors, such as securities industries and wealth management. Paul Ingram, a non-executive director, has led several mining companies since 2003. Impact Minerals has the experience and expertise to lead the company to success.
Company Highlights
- Impact Minerals is an exploration and development mining company focused on rapidly moving its flagship Lake Hope high-purity alumina (HPA) project toward production.
- The Lake Hope project has a high-grade maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 3.5 million tonnes at 25.1 percent alumina (Al2O3), for a contained 880,000 tonnes of alumina that can be converted to HPA.
- HPA is used throughout multiple industries, and the overall HPA market is projected to grow by a CAGR of 18.4 percent by 2030.
- A pre-feasibility study is currently in progress and scheduled to be completed by Q4 2024. A mining lease application for the Lake Hope High Purity Alumina (HPA) was recently lodged with the aim of being granted by 2026.
- The company’s project portfolio also includes assets with high-grade mineral deposits of a range of base, critical and precious metals.
- Impact Mineral’s 2,000-square-mile Arkun nickel-copper-PGE project in Western Australia has produced encouraging assays that motivate further exploration. Maiden drill programmes are planned for early 2025.
- The company is also exploring its Broken Hill copper project in New South Wales following a major grant under the auspices of the BHP Xplor program in 2023..
- A strong management team leads the company with experience in geology, mining and corporate finance.
Key Projects
Lake Hope HPA Project
Impact Minerals’ Lake Hope HPA project is in Western Australia, a tier-one mining jurisdiction. HPA is a crucial component in many new and emerging technologies, creating ongoing demand for high-grade sources. The Lake Hope project is the company’s flagship as it moves toward production.
Project Highlights:
- Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate: A maiden mineral resource of 3.5 million tonnes at 25.1 percent alumina (Al2O3) for a contained 880,000 tonnes of alumina has been defined at the Lake Hope HPA Project. About 88 percent of the resource, or 775,000 tonnes of alumina, is in the higher confidence indicated resource category.
- Amenable to Open-pit Mining: The Lake Hope project is a unique HPA asset amenable to shallow, open-pit mining. The deposit is soft and shallow, allowing for cheap digging and minimal infrastructure requirements. This type of deposit also lowers the environmental footprint of the operation.
- Fast-tracked to Production: A mining lease application is currently underway. Once granted, the company will begin working towards a pre-feasibility study and mini pilot plant. Impact Minerals plans to reach a complete pilot plant by 2026.
- Impressive Results of the 2023 Scoping Study: Outstanding economics show Lake Hope to potentially be the lowest-cost producer of High Purity Alumina (HPA) globally by up to 50 percent. Key outcomes from the scoping study include:
- Annual production of 10,000 tpa of 4N HPA with an initial 25-year mine life
- Annual EBITDA of A$174 million.
- 2 years construction period with 5,000 tonnes of production during the first year, 8,000 tonnes in the second year and 10,000 tonnes of production thereafter.
- US$934 million post-tax NPV8 at an IRR of 55 percent.
- Mining Lease Application: Amining lease application was lodged in mid-2024 over the West Lake resource while a miscellaneous licence application (L63/99) was lodged to cover mine infrastructure and haulage road.
The scoping study was underpinned by a sulphuric acid process allowing the company to achieve a new milestone by producing HPA with purity of more than than 99.99 percent (4N) from the metallurgical processing of lake clays acquired from Lake Hope. The company further identified a new proprietary metallurgical process for producing HPA from the lake clays. Known as the low-temperature leach (LTL) process, this also produced 99.99 percent (4N) Al2O3 and has the potential to lower even further the capital and operating costs to produce HPA compared to the sulphate process. The LTL process will be included in the ongoing pre-feasibility study along with the sulphate process to determine the best processing route to HPA. The PFS is due to be completed in late 2024.
Broken Hill Copper Project
The Broken Hill project has a significant land position of 815 square kilometers and hosts multiple targets with the potential for high-grade copper. Broken Hill is located in New South Wales, Australia, an area known for its prolific silver-lead-zinc mining operations and the giant Broken Hill deposit.
Project Highlights:
- Participant in the BHP Xplor Program: Impact was selected for the BHP Xplor program in 2023 based on its Broken Hill project. The program is designed to allow participants to accelerate growth and establish a long-term partnership with BHP.
- Potential for Additional Minerals and Deposits: As well as copper, the project has significant exploration potential for magmatic nickel-copper-PGE sulphides, and at the time the host rocks were formed, Broken Hill was located close to the world-class nickel-copper-PGE deposit of Jinchuan and the significant Lengquisheng deposit. The project area also has the potential to contain zinc-lead-silver deposits, providing even more value.
Arkun Nickel-Copper-Gold-Lithium-REE Project
The Arkun project is a 2,900-square-kilometer nickel, copper and gold project located in the emerging Ni-Cu-PGE province near the world-class Julimar Ni-Cu-PGE deposit and surrounded by Anglo American Corporation, which secured its ground holding shortly after Impact secured its asset. Anglo-American is one of the world’s top ten mining companies, and their presence in the region brings confidence in the project’s potential.
Project Highlights:
- Additional Exploration Underway: Impact plans follow-up work programs, including drilling, at its priority targets.
- Significant Targets Identified: Recent soil sampling identified two new prospects:
- Hyperion prospect - Located in the northwestern part of the project area returned with rare earth element anomalism of up to 5,880 ppm (0.59 percent) total rare earth oxide (TREO+Y) and neodymium and praseodymium (Nd+Pr) of up to 21 percent.
- Caligula prospect - Initially identified on the roadside, the Caligula prospect is a large and significant target for porphyry copper mineralisation.
- Three New Exploration Licences: Impact applied for three new exploration licences expanding Arkun project along trend from the recently discovered REE soil geochemistry anomalies at Hyperion, Swordfish and Horseshoe as well as the Caligula copper anomaly.
Management Team
Peter Unsworth - Non-executive Chairman
Peter Unsworth, formerly a chartered accountant, has over 35 years of experience in the corporate finance, investment and securities industries and a wealth of management experience with public and private companies. A former executive director with a leading Western Australian stockbroking company, Unsworth has been a director of several public exploration and mining companies. He recently completed a long time serving as chairman of the Western Australian Government-owned Gold Corporation (operator of The Perth Mint). Unsworth is the founding chairman of Impact Minerals.
Dr. Mike Jones - Managing Director
Dr. Mike Jones is the founding managing director of Impact Minerals Limited, which was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in November 2006. Reporting to the board of directors, he is responsible for the company's performance as it moves towards production at its Lake Hope High Purity Alumina Project and also for implementing strategies to explore and maximize the value of the company's other extensive tenement holdings.
Since listing, he has helped raise more than $60 million to help fund the exploration of Impact’s projects and managed the company through significant adverse events, including the global financial crisis and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which affected Impact’s considerable investment in the uranium sector, a five-year global downturn in the mining sector and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paul Ingram - Non-executive Director
Paul Ingram is a geologist with extensive experience managing major mineral exploration programs for several publicly listed companies and has been involved in the mining sector for over thirty years. He has designed and implemented innovative techniques for exploration in remote areas and has managed projects in countries throughout Australia and East Asia. Ingram has been a director of the following listed companies in the past three years: Polo Resources from January 2008 to January 2011; A-Cap Resources since June 2009; Consolidated Global Investments since September 2006; Caledon Resources from February 2003 to March 2008; and Australian Pacific Coal since March 2011.
Dr Frank Bierlein - Non-executive Director
Dr. Frank Bierlein is a geologist with 30 years of experience as a consultant, researcher, lecturer and industry professional. Bierlein has held exploration and generative geology management positions with QMSD Mining, Qatar Mining, Afmeco Australia and Areva NC, and consulted for, among others, Newmont Gold, Resolute Mining, Goldfields International, Freeport McMoRan, and the International Atomic Energy Agency. He is currently a non-executive director of PNX Metals. He was previously a non-executive director of Gold Australia NL and chaired the advisory board of a Luxembourg-based private equity fund between 2014 and 2021.
Impact Awarded $2.87 Million in Federal Funding for Pilot Plant Work on the Lake Hope High Purity Alumina Project, WA
The grant is provided under the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) program which fosters short-term, industry-led research collaborations. The grant is part of an estimated $6.4 million research and development project to be completed within three years and designed to provide Impact with the relevant information required to complete a Definitive Feasibility Study in that time frame. A key component of the grant funding will be to construct a pilot plant, which is a key goal for 2025, and this will provide consistent material for off-take and qualification trials.
Impact Minerals’ Managing Director Dr Mike Jones with Eugenia Phegan of CPC Engineering andAssociate Professor Amir Razmjou of the Mineral Recovery Research Centre at ECU holding a pilot scale Membrane.
Impact Minerals’ Managing Director Dr Mike Jones, said, “We are immensely proud to drive this transformative project, which aligns with and advances Australia’s strategic interests in critical minerals. We thank Minister Husic for his personal interest in the project as this federal funding not only underscores the national importance of our work but also enhances our capability to implement world- leading technologies that set new standards in sustainability and efficiency in the mineral sector. Being able to commence work on our pilot plant and the subsequent feasibility studies with the world-leading research of Edith Cowan University and the unique skills and experience of CPC Engineering will position Impact Minerals at the forefront of the global HPA market, ready to meet increasing demands with a sustainably produced, high-quality product. The project is scheduled to advance from initial trials to a definitive study phase swiftly, ensuring timely delivery of HPA and fertilizer samples to potential customers and partners. This grant and likely contributions from the R and D rebate will ensure our next stage of work after the PFS will be well funded.”
The research project brings together three groups with the unique assets and skills to bring the Lake Hope project to fruition.
Impact has developed innovative metallurgical processes to produce HPA and fertiliser by-products from the salts in the Lake Hope deposit, which will be mined and trucked to Kwinana for processing. The mining and processing will have a minimal environmental footprint, with no on-site beneficiation required at the mine, nominal long-term rehabilitation requirements and one of the lowest Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions of any HPA production process globally (ASX Release June 19th 2024).
The Mineral Recovery Research Centre at ECU, led by Associate Professor Amir Razmjou, is a world leader in Membrane Selective Technology (MST) in which plastic or ceramic membranes are used to remove a wide variety of contaminants from reagents and water. The technology is well-established in water treatment, and the MRRC is adapting the technology to the mining industry.
Impact believes MST to be a further game changer for producing HPA, and in particular, for cost-effective reagent regeneration and removal of contaminants in waste water. This, in turn, will lead to lower energy costs, emissions and, in particular, operating costs for the project. It adds to the overall small environmental footprint of the Lake Hope project and the research aims to design a “zero-liquid discharge” project to minimise or even eliminate waste from the process.
CPC Engineering is completing the engineering design studies and estimates of the operating and capital costs for the proposed 10,000 tonnes per annum HPA plant as part of Impact’s Pre-Feasibility Study on Lake Hope (ASX Release October 9th 2024). Eugenia Phegan of CPC, who has previous experience in building HPA pilot plants, recognised the potential of MST for Lake Hope and Impact thanks her for her insight and energy in helping design and complete the grant application as well as her on-going contribution to the Lake Hope journey.
CPC will design, build and manage the pilot plant under the research project. In addition, Impact will also work with ECU and CPC to generate new uses for HPA.
About the Grant and Future Directions
The CRC-P grant of $2.87 million aims to foster the development of competitive, sustainable, and productive Australian industries through strategic research collaborations. Impact Minerals, along with its partners, will fund the remainder of the $6.4 million project, being $3.53 million, with cash and in-kind contributions. Impacts contribution will be about $1.7 million, much of which will be potentially eligibility for the Research and Development rebate of 43%.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Impact Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
