Our laboratory Metallurgy Pty Ltd is proud to have played an essential role in the success of Alliance Nickel’s NiWest Nickel-Cobalt Project by providing critical metallurgical testwork which assisted in refining the flowsheet for heap leaching, that has directly contributed to the completion of their Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS). This milestone highlights the immense potential of the NiWest Project, which is set to become Australia’s next major producer of battery-grade nickel and cobalt.

NiWest Project Highlights:
• 35-year mine life and low-cost, high-purity production
• Processing route: Heap leaching followed by direct solvent extraction and crystallization
• Goal: To produce low-carbon, high-purity nickel and cobalt sulphate products essential for the global decarbonization push
• First production expected: Late 2027, pending financing and approvals

Paul Kopejtka, Managing Director of Alliance Nickel, expressed, “The delivery of the DFS is another major milestone for Alliance and highlights the huge potential of our NiWest Project, which is poised to become the next producing battery-grade nickel and cobalt operation in Australia.”

Metallurgical Testwork Contribution:
Our team at Metallurgy Pty Ltd has been instrumental in verifying and optimizing key process parameters, including heap height, crush size, and the leach performance using saline water sources. The testwork carried out includes:
• Bulk column leach tests using 2m tall columns and fresh water to generate Pregnant Liquor Solutions (PLS)
• Variability column leach tests to determine the variability of the resource and impact recovery
• Heap leach viability tests with 4m tall columns and fresh water
• Confirmatory heap leach tests with synthetic saline leach solutions, operating at elevated temperatures to mitigate precipitation (currently in progress)

Ongoing Work:
We are continuing to support Alliance Nickel with confirmatory closed-circuit leach tests, due for completion in January 2025. These tests are utilizing large diameter columns and project water sources at design temperatures.

This successful collaboration underscores the importance of high-quality metallurgical testwork in de-risking projects and optimizing the mining process. We are excited to see the NiWest Project progress toward becoming a leader in the battery-grade nickel and cobalt sector.