Lynas selects Kalgoorlie for new rare earth plant

Rare earths miner Lynas has chosen Kalgoorlie in Western Australia for its new cracking and leaching plant; a first step in establishing a critical minerals hub in the Goldfields region.

Kalgoorlie was selected from the two shortlisted locations in the Goldfields region following extensive due diligence. Kalgoorlie provides close proximity to the Lynas mine at Mt Weld as well as a skilled workforce and a rich history in the mining and processing industries. 

Lynas has signed an option to sublease an industrial zoned property from the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The terms of the proposed sublease are now being finalised. The signing of this option follows the signing of an MOU with the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Lynas’ Kalgoorlie cracking and leaching plant will upgrade the Lynas Mt Weld rare earth concentrate that is currently exported to the Lynas rare earth processing facility in Malaysia. It is a further step towards delivering on the Australian Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy and the objective of the Western Australian Government for more downstream processing. Lynas will also explore opportunities for the next stage processing (upstream solvent extraction) in Western Australia. 

In establishing these facilities, Lynas will also facilitate investment in infrastructure and supply chain capabilities which can form the basis of further industry development in the region. Lynas looks forward to continuing to develop its relationship with Curtin University and the WA School of Mines working to create IP in the processing of critical minerals in Australia. 

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Lynas CEO & Managing Director, Amanda Lacaze, commented: “We are excited to announce Kalgoorlie as the location for our robust, value-added processing facility in Western Australia. Kalgoorlie is a terrific city and an ideal location for our new cracking and leaching plant. We are excited to contribute to economic development in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. 

“We thank the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder for their warm welcome and we look forward to sharing further details with the local communities as our plans progress. Lynas was built from the ground up as an environmentally responsible rare earths producer and we will take the same approach to our facility in Kalgoorlie.”

Lynas Corporation is the world’s second largest producer of rare earth materials. The company operates one of the world’s highest grade rare earth mines in Mt Weld, Western Australia, and a sustainable chemical processing operation in Gebeng, Malaysia.