AUSTRALIAN rare earths company Lynas Corporation’s (ASX: LYC) new processing plant in Kalgoorlie, WA, has been granted Major Project Status by the Australian government.
Major Project Status streamlines government approvals processes for mining projects, providing a single-entry point for their assessment by the Australian government, and formally recognises a project’s significance to the Australian economy.
The company’s Kalgoorlie processing plant will carry out cracking and leaching of rare earth concentrate from Lynas’s Mt Weld mine in WA’s Goldfield’s region and will support the development of new infrastructure including chemicals production for the rare earths industry.
At its peak construction phase the plant is expected to create 500 jobs, and increase Lynas’s Goldfields workforce to more than 200 people.
Lynas CEO and MD Amanda Lacaze said that developing a robust and resilient rare earths industry is a priority for the Australian government.
“This formal support by the Australian government recognises the importance of our new rare earths processing plant in Kalgoorlie to Australia’s critical minerals operations, as well as to jobs and investment in regional WA,” Ms Lacaze said.
The Kalgoorlie rare earths processing plant aligns with key Australian government policies, including its Critical Minerals Strategy, and on value-added processing and infrastructure development.
