Our Projects

Barrambie

Client
Category

Location
Commodity

Neometal Limited
Critical Minerals
Western Australia, Australia
Titanium & Vanadium
Neometals scaled Barrambie 1

Neometal Limited invested more than $40 million to acquire full ownership and operations of the Barrambie Titanium and Vanadium Project since 2003, one of the world’s highest-grade hard rock Titanium Vanadium deposits. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Neometal Limited with China’s Jiuxing Titanium Materials, with the plan on delivering a mixed concentrate or Ilmenite from the mine to the off-taker.

Primero was engaged by Neometal Limited for the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS), and this was completed in Q4 2022. Primero was recognised by Neometal Limited to have the capability and capacity to complete the study so it could be brought to investors and to the board. The Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) assumes a simple mine, crush, mill and beneficiate (CMB) option at Eastern bands at Barrambie. The results from the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) confirm the viability of commercialising the Barrambie project with the potential to supply more than 500,000tpa of high-quality supply-constrained Ilmenite in the first 10 years of the project. This new milestone allows Neometal Limited to negotiate a binding formal off-take with the potential of direct shipping of ore, beneficiation of ore into mixed gravity concentrate (MGC) or further processing.

Primero completed the Pre-Feasibility Study to a class 4 estimate ±25% for Neometal Limited. The processing design, assumes a simple mine, crush, mill and beneficiate (CMB) option, and involves Low Temperature Reduction Roast (LTR) of the Mixed Gravity Concentrate (MGC) and magnetic separation at a second site location to produce separate Ilmenite and Iron-Vanadium concentrate streams.

SCOPE

The purpose of the Pre-Feasibility Study was to develop a suitable processing route for the recovery of titanium / vanadium / magnetite into bulk concentrate from Run-of-Mine (ROM) sourced from the Barrambie deposit. The Pre-Feasibility Study scope of work required for the client was to provide American Association of Cost Engineering (AACE) capital cost estimate (CAPEX) and operating cost estimate (OPEX) to a class 4 estimate ±25% for:

  • Metallurgical test work review and interpretation
  • Process Design for the Crusher, Mill and Beneficiation (CMB) and Low Temperature Reduction Roast (LTR) plant
  • Plant Design for the CMB and LTR plants.

HIGHLIGHTS

The completion of the Pre-Feasibility Study shows cases of the potential economic development for Barrambie, and places Neometal Limited in a solid negotiation position with commercial off-takers. The potential to produce 500,000tpa of high-quality Ilmenite to the market is a mega milestone development for Neometal Limited, and it has opened up opportunities for different development pathways.