Critical minerals specialist Tivan (ASX:TVN) has appointed engineering and construction company Lycopodium (ASX:LYL) to oversee the Prefeasibility Study (PFS) for its Speewah Fluorite Project in Western Australia.
The $89.61 million market capitalisation company says the PFS will assess the technical and economic feasibility of a mining and processing operation to produce acid grade fluorspar, building on a ‘significant’ body of work previously undertaken.
The PFS will focus on mining, hydrology, tailings, engineering and project economics, and is expected to be completed by June 2024.
Tivan Executive Chairman Grant Wilson says: “Lycopodium prevailed in a competitive tender process, based on their outstanding technical capabilities and track record in the critical minerals sector.
As a local firm, Lycopodium is also highly sensitised to delivering positive community impacts, an important priority at Tivan as we move forward.
Our project will be a first for Australia in fluorine, providing a critical feedstock to trusted partners in the EV battery value chain, and providing tangible economic and social benefits across the East Kimberley region.”
Lycopodium Managing Director Peter De Leo says the firm is pleased to have this opportunity to work with Tivan.
Lycopodium is a global process, engineering, and project delivery organisation headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. The company works across the resources, rail infrastructure, and industrial processes sectors and has a value of capital projects standing at $4 million.
Fluorite ore is used to produce commercial grade fluorspar products and fluorine, with industrial applications including steel, aluminium, and chemical manufacturing, as well as within emerging sectors such as next-generation lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, and semiconductor manufacturing.
In December 2023, the Australian government added fluorine to Australia’s Critical Minerals list, in recognition of its role in the energy and lack of production in the country, as previously reported by Mining.com.au.
Tivan is a critical minerals-focused company that is working to define a ‘bold,new’ era in the global renewable energy transition.
Write to Adam Drought at Mining.com.au
Images: Tivan
