Northern Minerals appoints Perth contractors

Rare earths developer Northern Minerals has appointed two Perth contractors for its proposed beneficiation plant at Browns Range in Carnarvon.

GR Engineering Services and MACA Interquip have been recruited to undertake early contract involvement scope for the proposed Browns Range Beneficiation Plant’s engineering, procurement and construction works.

The contractors will conduct the engineering and design activities required to enter an executable lumpsum EPC contract for the delivery of the beneficiation plant.

Work has already begun on the ECI and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2023, with the preferred EPC contractor being notified during the third quarter.

The Browns Range project tenements are believed to be rich in heavy rare earth elements dysprosium and terbium.

The proposed commercial-scale beneficiation plant will supply the two rare earth elements in concentrate to Iluka’s Eneabba rare earths refinery.

In October, luka Resources struck its first offtake deal for its $1.2 billion Eneabba rare earths refinery. 

The agreement involved the supply of 30.5 million tonnes of rare earths concentrate from the Browns Range project, which is set to provide direct feed for the new refinery.

Northern Minerals executive chairman Nick Curtis said the contracts marked progression of the project.

“Letting of these contracts is a significant step towards updating the definitive feasibility study for a commercial-scale beneficiation plant at Browns Range, centred initially on our Wolverine resource, which we believe is the highest-grade dysprosium and terbium orebody in Australia,” he said.

“Dysprosium and terbium are critical minerals used in the manufacture of rare earth permanent magnets, particularly in high-end clean energy products such as wind turbines and electric vehicle motors.”

On the market, Northern Minerals stock traded 4.2 cents at 3:42 AEDT, up 5 per cent.

GR Engineering Services shares were down 1.28 per cent to trade at $1.93.