Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG) has tantalised the market on Monday with news it could have a smelter on-site its US-based antimony project in 2 years, all cards in order, as a conceptual study into the economics of an on-site smelter wraps up.
First announced earlier this year, that study spearheaded by Metso looked at the logistics of using Ausmelt Top Submerged Lance (TSL) tech, first invented in Australia at the CSIRO in the 1970s. It’s ultimately a high-efficiency form of bath smelting which sees air injected into molten baths as a means to produce target metals.
This, which the company predicts saves electricity compared to other methods, is the core aspects of Trigg’s proposed plant, ultimately producing antimony ex-China. So far, the company is eyeing a 5tpa facility capable of producing antimony ingots and antimony trisulfide.
It would be modular, the company reported, suggesting the ability to quickly ramp-up to match demand should the economics of the project prove true. It will be the latter product, too, that really ties Trigg to the US Defence market, all cards in order.
“Antimony trisulfide is an essential and non-substitutable component to over 300 types of munitions, making it important to source in America,” Trigg wrote. At any rate, management were predictably bullish on the outcomes of the Metso study.
“The Metso Ausmelt concept study confirms that we can build a modern, energy-efficient smelter that meets the highest environmental standards while consuming significantly less electricity than conventional designs,” TMG MD Andrew Booyzen said.
“We are proud to be advancing a project that not only secures a critical mineral supply chain but also sets a new benchmark for clean and responsible metals production.”
TMG last traded at 9.2cps.
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Disclaimer: HotCopper had a commercial relationship with TMG at the time this article was crafted and published.