Wyloo Metals and IGO Ltd. announced a site has been secured at the Kwinana-Rockingham Strategic Industrial Area, Western Australia for a proposed nickel refining and cathode precursor materials facility. 

Wyloo Metals and IGO have secured a site at the Kwinana-Rockingham Strategic Industrial Area in Western Australia for a proposed nickel refining and cathode precursor (PCAM) production facility, known as the Integrated battery materials facility (IBM). This follows the joint study announcement in February in which the two parties agreed to evaluate the technical, commercial, and economic feasibility of developing downstream nickel processing capacity in Australia, funded 70% by IGO and 30% by Wyloo. The IBM intends to use IGO’s proprietary IGO Process™ for the production of PCAM for high-nickel ternary cathodes, which IGO report has lower production costs and reduced carbon emissions compared to traditional methods. Feedstocks are expected to be sourced from a combination of IGO’s existing assets and third-party suppliers, with the potential to maximise the value-add of nickel products produced by IGO in Western Australia.  

In addition to IGO’s domestic product in Western Australia, the secured site at the Kwinana-Rockingham Strategic Industrial Area is located next to Tianqi Lithium Energy’s lithium hydroxide facility, itself a joint venture between Tianqi Lithium and IGO. This presents the potential for future collaboration to produce lithiated cathode active material production in Western Australia.  

Construction and commissioning of the facility are estimated to require capital funding of US$0.6-1.0Bn, though no information has yet been provided regarding the capacity of the plant or construction timeline. A final investment decision for the plant has not yet been made, with both IGO and Wyloo Metals searching for a partner with experience in the production of PCAMs to assist in project development. A feasibility study will also be completed in 2024, which is expected to define more details surrounding the scale of production, joint venture structure, required capital investment and the commissioning timescale.