Barminco set to deliver works on $299m Odysseus nickel mine WA

In October 2018, Western Areas has green lighted the development of the Odysseus nickel mine in Western Australia. Now, the $299 million project moves forward with early capital works underway and post definitive feasibility studies (DFS) planning also in progress.

Since its approval, the Odysseus project has marked a number of milestones, including:

• Schlumberger submersible pump installed to accelerate dewatering

• Decline rehabilitation mining contract awarded to Barminco Ltd with mobilisation to commence in mid-January

• Construction of all surface water management ponds and high voltage electrical reticulation complete and operational

• Existing 520 person camp upgraded to cater for all staff required during the initial works

• Purchase of shaft headgear complete with planning for height from South Africa to Perth underway

• Optimisation studies, including technical studies, for mining the AM5 and AM6 orebodies progressing well

“Odysseus is an important growth asset for Western Areas and should be one of the few new global nickel sulphide operations scheduled to come online as the forecast uplift in nickel demand for electric vehicles impacts the market in the 2022 timeframe.

“The Odysseus Project is a robust project and the Company is excited to move into the next phase of project construction,” Western Areas Managing Director Dan Lougher said.

The next step for the project involves decline rehabilitation works, which is going to be delivered by Barminco. Works will commence by mid-January of this year and could take up to six months to complete.

Once decline rehabilitation has been completed, a pump station is going to be built in order to assist with the dewatering of the AM5 and AM6 deposits.

The Odysseus nickel mine - located approximately 30 kilometres north of Leinster - is projected to have a mine life of 10 years and it is anticipated to produce up to 130,000 tonnes of contained nickel concentrate, with the first nickel concentrate expected to be produced in December 2022.

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Source: Western Areas; Australian Mining; Proactive Investors Australia