Douglas site operations to continue

Mining company Iluka Resources will continue operations at its Wimmera disposal site at Douglas despite placing its Hamilton Mineral Separation Plant into a care and maintenance phase.

The company announced in March it would suspend processing operations at Hamilton from October 2017 to 2019, pending evaluation of its next mining development at Balranald, NSW.

Iluka last week announced the Hamilton plant would enter a care and maintenance phase in October after it learned the Balranald project would not produce enough concentrate to justify the company running two mineral separation plants in Australia.

The company believes annual production volumes could ramp up over time, but it does not expect commercial quantities to be produced before 2021.

Iluka currently disposes of by-products from its Hamilton plant at its former Douglas mine site.

An Iluka spokesman said the company would continue to dispose of mineral sands by-products from Hamilton in pit 23 at Douglas until October.

“Iluka’s ongoing rehabilitation of former operating sites in Victoria is not impacted by the care and maintenance program at Hamilton,” he said.

“Pit 23 will receive steel and concrete from these sites in accordance with planning approvals.

“There is no change to Iluka’s requirements and commitments to manage and rehabilitate the Douglas site appropriately.”