Long-Studied Australian Mineral Sands Project Moves Forward

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia)--The WIM150 Mineral Sands Project in the Wimmera region of Western Victoria is moving toward the development phase, more than two decades after it was proposed and exploration work began. The movement follows the project's acquisition by Australian Zircon NL (ASX:AZC) (Adelaide, South Australia) and the new joint venture with Orient Zirconic Resources (Australia) Pty Limited (Adelaide).

The WIM150 Mineral Sands Project is about 12 miles (20 kilometers) southeast of Horsham. The mineral sands were discovered in the early 1980's, but ore-processing technology issues and poor economics hampered the project.

Australian Zircon acquired the project in 2004, and continued exploration work, along with feasibility studies.

Australian Zircon confirmed in December that Orient Zirconic Resources, a subsidiary of Guangdong Orient Zirconic Industrial Sci & Tech Company Limited (Guangdong, China), had retained a 20% interest in the project. According the joint venture agreement, Australian Zircon will develop and operate the project.

The joint venture agreement has allowed the project to accelerate. Australian Zircon is preparing the environmental effects statement and finalizing the bankable feasibility study, which was begun by the project's previous owner in 2008. The final outcome of the bankable feasibility study is expected by mid-2014.

The project requires the excavation of an open-pit mine, construction of a wet-concentrator plant and a mineral-separation plant. The plant is designed to process 10 million metric tons of ore annually. It is expected to produce 675,000 metric tons of heavy mineral concentrate each year. The project has a lifespan of more than 160 years at the planned production rate.

Construction of the project is estimated to require 200 workers. The processing plant would create 125 permanent jobs and as many as 125 contractor jobs. The WIM150 Mineral Sands operations would run 24 hours per day, seven days per week with two 12-hour shifts per day.

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