Lynas Kalgoorlie has signed a deal with Metso Minerals for the supply of a large rotary kiln and combustion system for baking rare earth elements at a greenfield project in Western Australia.
The order is valued at around $21 million (EUR 13 million) and has been booked in Metso Minerals’ Q2 2020 orders received.
The two companies will work together to develop a rotary kiln system for Lynas’ greenfield cracking and leaching plant in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
The plant will process concentrate from the Mount Weld mine and provide an intermediate feed for further processing to produce NdPr (neodymium and praseodymium), which are key elements used in high-tech consumer electronics and green energy technologies.
Lynas is one of the largest producers of rare earths in the world outside of China while Metso Outotec has installed more than 1300 rotary kilns worldwide.
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Lynas CEO and Managing Director Amanda Lacaze said the kiln is the longest lead time item for the Kalgoorlie project and placing this order is an important milestone in the development of the new processing plant in Kalgoorlie.
“The project is progressing to schedule and we look forward to working with Metso Outotec on the engineering and supply of the kiln,” Lacaze said.
Metso Outotec President of the Minerals business area Stephan Kirsch said the company was excited to be selected by Lynas as a key supplier for the development of its significant greenfield project in Western Australia.
“Metso Outotec’s rotary kiln system forms an integral part for the processing of rare earths,” Kirsch said.
Commissioning of the kiln is expected to take place in 2022.