SYDNEY: Latrobe Magnesium Limited’s application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) for its research, development and demonstration application for its initial 3,000 tpa magnesium plant at 320 Tramway Road Hazelwood North was approved and a certificate issued.
The approval allows LMG to operate the plant for a period of 18 months post the commissioning stage. LMG remains committed to progressing this project to safely re-process mining waste, generating jobs and developing a new industry in the Latrobe Valley.
The EPA’s approval comes with mainly standard conditions which need to be fulfilled before construction or commissioning of the plant.
This approval is the last one required for the project to proceed. The LMG Board will make a final investment decision once it has finalized its funding arrangements.
Latrobe Magnesium is developing a magnesium production plant in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley using its world-first patented extraction process. LMG intends to extract and sell magnesium metal and cementitious material from industrial fly ash, which is currently a waste stream from the Yallourn brown coal power generation.LMG has completed a feasibility study validating its combined hydromet / thermal reduction process that extracts the metal. Construction is estimated to start on its initial 3,000 tonne per annum magnesium plant in October2020 with production commencing up to 16months later. The plant will then be expanded to 40,000 tonne per annum magnesium 12 months later.
The plant will be in the heart of Victoria’s coal power generation precinct, providing immediate access to feedstock, infrastructure and labour.LMG plans to sell the refined magnesium under long-term contracts to Australian, USA and Japanese customers. Currently, Australia imports 100% of the 8,000 tonnes annually consumed.
Magnesium has the best strength-to-weight ratio of all common structural metals and is increasingly used in the manufacture of car parts, laptop computers, mobile phones and power tools.
The LMG project is at the forefront of environmental benefit –by recycling power plant waste, avoiding landfill and is a low CO2 emitter. LMG adopts the principles of an industrial ecology system.