source：Creamer Media's Mining Weekly
The Western Australian Water and Environmental Regulation department has granted ASX-listed Hasting Technology Metals a works permit to construct the Yangibana rare earths process plant.
The works permit is subject to certain conditions, including design and construction requirements, pollutant emission limits, monitoring requirements and compliance reporting.
The Yangibana project includes the development of five openpit mines, groundwater abstraction, on-site processing of ore, tailings storage facilities and supporting infrastructure.
“While Hastings has received state and commonwealth environmental approvals, the additional focus and rigorous nature of this approval process on polluting facilities such as the process plant provides us, and our shareholders, with further confidence that the Yangibana project is able to meet the high regulatory standards set by the Western Australian government.
“The regulatory standards set by the Western Australia government also provide the international community and our major offtake customer, Schaeffler Technologies, with assurance that the extraction component of the rare earths supply chain is undertaken in an environmentally responsible manner,” commented COO Andrew Reid.
The proposed beneficiation and hydro metallurgy processing plant will treat rare earths deposits, predominantly monazite hosting high neodymium and praseodymium contents, to produce a mixed rare earths carbonate that will be further refined into individual rare earth oxides at processing plants overseas.
Neodymium and praseodymium are vital components in the manufacture of permanent magnets which are used in a wide and expanding range of advanced and high-tech products including electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, medical applications and others.