Hazelwood Resources (ASX: HAZ) is an emerging ferroalloy producer, with a majority interest in the largest, most advanced ferrotungsten plant outside of China.
Hazelwood Resources to investigate Big Hill downstream processing
Hazelwood Resources (ASX: HAZ) has altered the scope of its pre-feasibility study into the proposed Big Hill development in Western Australia to include the assessment of possible downstream processing options.
The Perth-based tungsten hopeful advised that after consultation with tungsten industry participants, providing samples of high purity scheelite concentrate from its Big Hill deposit to interested end-user parties and an internal review, it resolved that looking at the merits of producing tungsten intermediate products was the way to go.
According to Hazelwood, it has become evident that the depth in the market for intermediate products such as ammonium paratungstate (APT) presents a better opportunity than raw concentrate alone. Consequently, the Big Hill pre-feas will now incorporate APT into the potential Big Hill product mix.
The Big Hill deposit is part of Hazelwood’s Cookes Creek tungsten project, which is located about 70 km from the town of Nullagine in the East Pilbara region of WA.
Cookes Creek contains areas of historical tungsten production, with Big Hill the most intensively tested area in recent times.
The pre-feas is evaluating a proposed mining and processing operation with an annual production capacity of about 200,000 metric tonne units of tungsten concentrate.
Tungsten ore concentrates are currently fetching about US$155 per tonne unit in China, while European APT prices are trading at about US$190-200 per tonne unit.
“The addition of APT to the product mix under consideration as part of the pre-feasibility study has potential to improve product marketability and enhance project economics,” Hazelwood told the market in a statement to the ASX.
