big is better

Alkane has always appeared to be the little brother in the family of rare earth companies. Behind the big boys; Lynas, Molycorp, Great Western Minerals and Avalon. Remember, rare earths were once considered a by-product of mineral processing at the DZP.

Not anymore, according to Ian Chalmers and the blue sky production scenario of 1 million tonne per annum. The interview with Chalmers in the Company Insight, dated September 16, 2010 provides a wealth of information including this data gem;

"[processing 1 Mtpa of ore] would equate to 6,500 tonnes per annum of rare earths, of which approximately 1,500 tonnes would be yttrium and heavy rare earths, which would probably make us the biggest producer of those products outside China in the near future," said Chalmers.

Biggest producer! Yttrium and the heavy rare earths are the most eagerly sought after of all the rare earths and Alkane could potentially be the world's leading non-Chinese producer, at a time when China is curtailing exports. The action in Alkane is only beginning to become interesting as the DZP takes on international strategic significance.