Lynas Corp says it has taken a significant step towards developing its new Kalgoorlie rare earths processing plant having awarded Metso Outotec with a contract to supply the plant’s rotary kiln system following a competitive tender process.
The 110 m long, 1,500 t kiln is the largest and longest lead time piece of equipment required for the plant’s operation, according to Lynas.
The contract for engineering and supply of the kiln is valued at around $15 million, including the discharge housing, combustion chamber and burner, motor control stations and delivery to Kalgoorlie.
The kiln will be manufactured by Metso Outotec to Lynas’ own design, which improves on the design of the four 60 m kilns currently in operation at the Lynas Malaysia plant, the company says. The new kiln will provide increased efficiency and reliability, it added.
Lynas CEO and Managing Director, Amanda Lacaze, said: “The kiln is the longest lead time item for our Kalgoorlie project and placing this order is an important milestone in the development of our new processing plant in Kalgoorlie. We are making good progress on the project, and we look forward to working with Metso Outotec on the engineering and supply of the kiln.”
Stephan Kirsch, President Minerals business area, Metso Outotec, said: “We are excited having been selected by Lynas as a key supplier for the development of its significant greenfield project in Western Australia. The Metso rotary kiln system forms an integral part for the processing of rare earths.”
Metso Outotec will commence work on the kiln immediately, with components to be manufactured in Australia as well as in European countries, Lynas said.
The plant will process concentrate from the Mt Weld mine (pictured), also in Western Australia’s Goldfields region, and provide an intermediate feed for further processing to produce neodymium and praseodymium, which are key elements used in high-tech consumer electronics and green energy technologies. Concentrate is currently exported to the Lynas rare earth processing facility in Malaysia.