Kalgoorlie in Western Australia has been chosen as the preferred location for Lynas Corporation’s new rare earth minerals processing plant, which will support local jobs and provide a number of supply opportunities for businesses in the Goldfields region.
The new cracking and leaching plant will process rare earth materials from Lynas’ Mt Weld mine that is located in close proximity to the Kalgoorlie site.
“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,” Lynas CEO and Managing Director Amanda Lacaze said.
“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.”
“We also acknowledge the support from the Western Australian Government and the Australian Government to enhance the critical minerals industry in the Kalgoorlie region.”
Lynas’ proposed processing plant is expected to generate up to 500 jobs during construction and about 200 jobs once operational.
Rare earth minerals are utilised in advanced manufacturing for renewable energy, aerospace and defence industries, and it is expected that these industries will have an increase in demand.
“This investment in infrastructure, the local workforce and research, is a key example of how the WA Government is working with industry to diversify the economy and deliver jobs of the future,” Premier of Western Australia Mark McGowan said.
City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder CEO John Walker said: “The City is thrilled to welcome Lynas to kalgoorlie-boulder, and we are looking forward to working with them to see their new cracking and leaching facility through to completion and production. This is a fantastic step forward in the work we have been doing to diversify our local economy and expand the number of skilled residential jobs available in our City.”
The new cracking and leaching plant is anticipated to be operational in 2023.
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Source: Government of Western Australia; Lynas Corporation; Reuters; The West Australian; Australian Mining