Australia’s next rare earths producer, Hastings Technology Metals (ASX: HAS) is pleased to announce that it has received the commendation of Premier Mark McGowan and the Western Australian Government for the Company’s development of the Yangibana Rare Earths Project (Yangibana), in the State’s Gascoyne region.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Premier Mark McGowan commends the Yangibana Rare Earths Project and its alignment with the Western Australian Government’s Future Battery Industry Strategy;
- Hastings receives DevelopmentWA Board approval to enter discussions for an option to lease Lot 600 within the Ashburton North Strategic Industrial Area;
- Yangibana mine site fly camp is operational and early stage works on access road and other stage civil infrastructure are advanced; and
- Project finance process is progressing quickly with credit-approved commitments expected in Q4 2021.
Premier McGowan said Hastings’ development of Yangibana was expressly aligned with the State’s Future Battery Industry Strategy, which aims to expand the range of future battery minerals that are extracted and processed in Western Australia. Appendix 1 provides a copy of the public commendation that Hastings has received.
The Premier’s commendation follows the West Australian Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (JTSI) acknowledging that the Yangibana Project represents a strategic opportunity for investment and growth to position the State as a reliable supplier of speciality rare earth minerals.
DevelopmentWA approval for ANSIA Lot 600
The Premier’s commendation coincides with theDevelopmentWA Board approving Hastings’ application to enter into discussions for an option to lease Lot 600 within the Ashburton North Strategic Industrial Area (ANSIA) for a tenure period of up to 30 years. ANSIA, approximately 15km southwest from Onslow, is a well-connected industrial precinct that also houses the Chevron-operated Wheatstone LNG project. Lot 600 is the proposed site for Yangibana’s hydrometallurgical plant. DevelopmentWA board approval is an important Yangibana Project milestone that enables Hastings to complete detailed engineering, planning and secondary permitting for early works of the hydrometallurgy plant infrastructure.