Project Highlights
- 240km2 of kaolinised granite prospective for bright white kaolin clay and high purity alumina (HPA) feedstock.
- Tenure supportive for large scale development.
- No competing land ownership, pastoral lease or freehold farmland.
- Excellent infrastructure with Trans Australian Railway allowing bulk transport up to 5,000t per train.
- HPA market growth due to investment in EV and battery market.
Background
The Koolya High Purity Alumina (HPA) Project covers 240km² prospective for bright white kaolin and High Purity Alumina (HPA) located 460km east of Perth. The region is a proven high quality kaolin producing region with Tellus Holdings Sandy Ridge kaolin mine 30km away to the northeast.
The Sandy Ridge open pit mine is very high-grade with an ISO Brightness of 84-86% (Optical Unfired), up to 36m thick and an initial 25 year mine life.
Kaolin is a platy white clay derived from the mineral Kaolinite formed by hydrothermal weathering of igneous rock such as granite. A common mineral however, rarely occurs in large high-grade and low impurity deposits. Kaolin deposits with low impurities are an optimal feedstock for High Purity Alumina (HPA) production via the direct synthesis of HPA 4N and 5N from kaolin ore.
The market for HPA is witnessing dramatic consumer driven growth, with the HPA market forecast to be US$4.49Bn by 2022. HPA growth has been invigorated in response to global investment in new applications and technologies such as electric vehicles (EV), static energy storage sector and LED lighting have created increased demand and market opportunities.
Koolya is a drill ready project with reconnaissance drilling to be undertaken immediately on tenement grant to investigate the depth, thickness, ISO brightness, mineralogy, and alumina content over the project area. The tenure is highly supportive of a large-scale development, with no competing land ownership of Pastoral Lease or freehold farmland minimising barriers and costs of development compared to other ASX-listed projects. In the event of a potential development of a mine, there is excellent infrastructure with the Trans Australian Railway adjoining the project, allowing for increased economies of scale via bulk transport of up to 5,000t per train movement.
SEM imaging and metallurgy studies will be completed on drill samples to confirm the qualitive nature of alumina content and Halloysite, if present.
