Hi Lizeng
I base this on the initial figures of output as supplied by AUZ 3000 T of cobalt sulphate , contained metal is 600T todays cobalt price US$61000 = 36600000US$. 24000T Nickel Sulphate , contained metal 4800T todays approx price US$12000 = 57600000US$. Combined total US$94200000. Not including Scandium sales as this is to hard to predict as current world usage is 10T to a high of 15T, producing 77Tpa as stated in Auz site would obviously crash this price but it would also open more markets for usage due to lower price.
To build a small laterite plant of this size would be approx US$ 500,000,000 going from previous experience and downscaling in price compared to Murrin , Ravo, Goro, and Ambatovy. This price is also allowing for no acid plant and the cheaper construction rates in QLD at the moment. The Autoclave circuit or line as some has called it would be US$200,000,000 by itself. The cost is due to all piping and autoclave itself being made from titanium and being built to ASME standards (pressure of pressure and temp). As already stated by BB the current pilot plant autoclave is delayed in China due to standards applied. Believe me you do not want to use lack standards for a autoclave as they are a massive bomb if they let go. Blast radius in feasibility studies for a large clave such as the above mentioned plants is in the range of 500-800 meters everything would be flattened. But don't worry design includes many safeguards to prevent this all the way down last resort burst discs to allow pressure to vent straight out of clave. So that is the capex for a very basic plant. This price may allow for basic mining machinery to also be purchased.
Opex for this plant would be quite high minimum of 200 men total not including contractors to run and mine this plant at say $110000 PA (very low figures as this is 12hrs a day and running a 2x1 roster means 3 shifts) $Aud22,000,000 , Acid usage would be in vicinty of 100000Tpa @ US$250t = US$25,000,000. Diesel usage at a very conservative 10 mining vehicles 2x strippers , 4x dump trucks (probably moxi size 50-60t Cap quite small) 2x loaders 1x10t , 1x20t and couple of water trucks @ 1000l diesel a day (these vehicles will be in 24hr usage) mining rebate price of diesel Aud 0.74c x 8000l = Aud $ 2,160,800 round up to Aud$3,000,000 with diesel or gas to run boiler to heat and pressurise clave and diesel for light vehicles and gen sets around plant..
Maintenance costs to maintain plant inclusive of 3 monthly shutdowns to descale and repair clave would be in vicinity conservatively of $20,000,000 not including labour as I allowed previously in previous para. Just the inlet and dicharge valves for clave of this size are worth approx $100,000 and the plugs for these valves which are ceramic that wear heaps (at start of commissioning and ramp up until stabilized generally 6-12months will be replaced weekly) are worth approx Aud$20,0000.
I can go on and on with head office overhead costs , logistics cost, loan repayments, vendor experts that are brought in all the time for optiminization and re-engineering, shire rates, EPA compliance commitments, Mining Act commitments, utility costs such as power and water.
I won't add all this up as others can review and comment, but this is why plant will have to be upsized as Ben has already indicated to be viable.
Please correct me if anyone thinks that my figures are wrong , but I play in this game and do it for real as part of my job. I have tried to be as conservative as possible.
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