Spot on , Calmbeforestorm !Very apt post , from a very apt poster name !
That's the "outlook " those investors with some knowledge and looking into the medium term future share !
Having Dubbo ( Toongi ) operational within 5 years , so the separation of Rare Earths . Zirconium , Hafnium and Niobium into "pure"oxides on site , and perhaps even having a lookalike South Korean KMP rare earths separation Plant portside at Newcastle or Woollongong ...is no longer a dream , but a realalistic goal or vision .
One only has to again look at the last Quarterly , at this aspect alone , to see the potential developing :
Edit Terbium/Dysprosium solvent extraction pilot program
During the Quarter, ASM worked with ANSTO to set up and operate Campaign 1 of the terbium/dysprosium
(Tb/Dy) process flowsheet pilot program (Circuit 4). The purpose of Campaign 1 is to confirm the adjusted
flowsheet required for separation of Tb from Dy to produce high quality (>99.9%) products. This pilot plant
ran for two weeks.
The preliminary results from the pilot plant indicated that Dy has been produced to 99.95% quality, with the
second Campaign (scheduled for August) to complete the Tb extraction from the remaining Dy. The pilot
program is expected to conclude by the end of 2023 and is supported by funds awarded under Stream 1 of
the NSW government’s Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Activation Fund.2
As the magnet manufacturing increases ...so does the
terbium requirements from Quality Manufacturers seeking to increase the durability and life span of the magnet ( which comes with a price increase )
Look at the Terbium price alone . Currently ,
$1942 .20 per Kg ( assuming US $ ) ! Whilst price down approx 50% in rolling year ( due to softness in manufacturing demand generally ) , still a huge price .
https://strategicmetalsinvest.com/current-strategic-metals-prices/The thought of being able to mine the rare earths at Toongi --and produce the Terbium/dyprosium locally ( in australia ) without having to send the oxide overseas , is the epitome of "maximising the wheels of the money train"!
If the Federal Govt ( in collaboration with the South Korean/ US Govts ) grasp the urgency and necessity to "make this happen " ..with senior debt , as per Iluka and Lynas ) , then the years of hard work put into this by by Alkane and by Ian Chalmers in particular , should start to accelerate quicker than many expect .
(20min delay)