Critical Minerals and the inevitable rise in demand.Some Ardea shareholders perhaps view the critical minerals and rare earths on ARL's ground as a moderate add on value in the future. As time passes, more and more of these critical minerals will increase in resources and in value. Scandium being of such value and importance and more recently Gallium. What will be next?Critical minerals are metals and non-metals that are considered vital for the economic well-being of the world's major and emerging economies, yet whose supply may be at risk due to geological scarcity, geopolitical issues, trade policy or other factors. Among these important minerals are metals and semi-metals used in the manufacture of mobile phones, flat screen monitors, wind turbines, electric cars, solar panels, and many other high-tech applications.
The minerals ranked as most critical by the United States, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the European Union including the United Kingdom, are as follows (ranked by Geoscience Australia based on synthesis of individual country rankings):
Rare-earth elements (REE), gallium (Ga), indium (In), tungsten (W), platinum-group elements (PGE) including platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd), cobalt (Co), niobium (Nb), magnesium (Mg), molybdenum (Mo), antimony (Sb), lithium (Li), vanadium (V), nickel (Ni), tantalum (Ta), tellurium (Te), chromium (Cr) and manganese (Mn).
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The
Kalgoorlie Nickel Project MRE contains a total of
854Mt @ 0.71% Ni and 0.045% Co for 6.1Mt nickel and 386kt cobalt contained metal (
Mineral Resource Estimate, JORC Code (2012)) (see
ASX announcement dated 30 June 2023). The Goongarrie Hub within the KNP was the subject of the 2023 PFS which showed that the Goongarrie Hub will be a multi-decade operation with strong production and earnings (see
ASX announcement dated 5 July 2023).The 2022/23 PFS used a base case 3.5Mtpa operation, with two HPAL autoclave trains, each rated at 1.5Mtpa, as well as an AL circuit of at least 0.5Mtpa. The operation can be expanded if required utilising beneficiated feed. The Goongarrie material allows the mineralisation to be easily matched to either the HPAL or AL circuits, and results in maximising resource utilisation, driving carbon emissions down and positive ESG outcomes.
The Goongarrie Hub subset of KNP,contains [email protected],0.042% Co, however, scandium and other critical minerals along with other enhancements, are being assessed as part of the 2023/24 Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS)The Goongarrie Hub subset of KNP, contains 437Mt @ 0.71% Ni, 0.042% Co and 25ppm Sc.
The PFS only considered Ni and Co, however, Scandium and other critical minerals, along with other enhancements, are being assessed as part of the 2023/24 Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS).
https://ardearesources.com.au/critical-minerals
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