Tivan's Speewah Fluorite Project receives Major Project Status

Critical minerals company Tivan has announced that the Australian Government has granted Major Project Status to its Speewah Fluorite Project in Western Australia. 

Awarding a Major Project Status recognises the national significance of the Speewah Fluorite Project and its alignment with the Australian Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy and National Battery Strategy. 

The Major Project Status will also enable the project to receive direct support from the Major Projects Facilitation Agency, including the coordination and facilitation of Australian Government approvals – which may include environmental, biosecurity and/or foreign investment approvals. 

Tivan is currently advancing planning for a mining and processing operations at its Speewah project where acid-grade fluorspar will be produced. 

The Major Project Status for the Speewah Fluorite Project will be in effect for three years beginning on 29 November 2024. 

“Tivan is delighted that the Speewah Fluorite Project has been awarded Major Project Status by the Australian Government. This is timely recognition of the strategic significance of our Project and its strong alignment with the Critical Minerals Strategy and the National Battery Strategy. 

“At our recent AGM I introduced Tivan’s new corporate mission of building a company of strategic importance across northern Australia. Tivan now owns a project, one of few in the north, that has been recognised by the Australian Government as having economic and strategic significance to the nation. 

“The designation will provide a sustained profile boost for Tivan, including in Asia. It will also raise awareness that Fluorite is amongst the most critical of critical minerals. It is great news for the Kimberley region as well, where the economic and social benefits of the Project will flow to the local community and to the Traditional Owners of Speewah. 

“I am very proud that our incredible team at Tivan has achieved this distinction within one year,” Tivan Executive Chairman Grant Wilson said. 

The Speewah Fluorite Project is located in the Kimberley region, about 100 kilometres south of the port of Wyndham and 110 kilometres south-west of Kununurra. 

Fluorine has been added by the Australian Government to the country’s Critical Minerals List in December 2023. Acid-grade fluorspar is the fluorine source used for the manufacturing of semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries, and it is also used in critical industries that further the digital economy and the energy transition. Currently, there is no domestic fluorspar or fluorite production in Australia. 

Source: Tivan (1, 2); Australian Mining; Creamer Media’s Weekly Mining