Hatch is a globally recognised tier one engineering consultancy that has a wealth of knowledge and technical expertise in mineral processing, hydrometallurgy, detailed design and Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) development for rare earth projects and specialty minerals companies. It has recently completed several similar engagements with clients comparable to Arafura and has direct access to a global network of procurement professionals, potentially allowing it to source lower cost solutions for the Nolans Neodymium-Praseodymium (NdPr) Project.Arafura Managing Director Gavin Lockyer said, “The appointment of Hatch as Lead Engineer for the Nolans DFS is yet another major milestone for the Company. Having recently appointed Stewart Watkins as Project Manager, the Company can now progress the DFS, anticipating completion by the end of this calendar year”.“Once that has been achieved, Arafura will be one of the few companies worldwide in a position to make a Final Investment Decision on the development of an NdPr project in what we anticipate to be a rising price environment for our products. We look forward to this outcome and are thrilled to have appointed such a high calibre Lead Engineer to assist us.”
About the Nolans Project
Arafura's Nolans Project site is located 135 kilometres north along the Stuart Highway from the town of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia.According to Arafura, the Measured and Indicated Resources Base of the project has the potential to support mining and processing operations for at least 30-35 years, at a design capacity of 14,000 tonnes of TREO equivalent per annum (TREO = "Total Rare-Earth Oxides").Arafura is planning to mine up to five million tonnes each year by open cut mining to produce 650,000 tonnes of run-of-mine ore as feed to a three-stage crushing circuit. Crushed ore will initially be processed in a beneficiation plant that employs whole-of-ore flotation as the main unit operation. The flotation concentrate will be pumped approx. 8 km via a slurry pipeline to an extraction plant. ■
