Austral Resources Australia Ltd. has delivered a major piece of processing infrastructure to its Mt Kelly facility in North West Queensland, marking a step towards its long-term operational reset and regional growth strategy.
The company said a new agglomeration drum arrived at the Mt Kelly copper processing facility, the operational anchor of its Western Operations. The replacement equipment arrived on site and is set for installation over the coming days.
The previous agglomeration drum processed over 22 million tonnes of ore during its operational lifespan, helping yield more than 155,000 tonnes of LME Grade A copper cathode.
Austral said investing ahead of equipment failure ensures Mt Kelly remains capable of supporting copper oxide production for decades to come, improving heap leach copper recovery rates and overall operating efficiency.
Since the successful recapitalisation of the company and appointment of the renewed board, Austral has adopted a disciplined strategy centred on rebuilding the business through investment in long-life infrastructure.
Austral COO Shane O’Connell said: “Our operational reset has never been about achieving short-term production milestones.
“It has been about rebuilding Austral with the infrastructure required to support decades of reliable copper production.”
Mt Kelly hosts the region’s only Solvent Extraction-Electrowinning (SX-EW) copper cathode production facility.
Paired with conventional sulphide processing capabilities at its Rocklands site, Austral is seeking to establish twin processing hubs in the mineral-rich district, positioning itself as a potential consolidator of regional copper assets across both oxide and sulphide deposits.
“The board’s decision to approve this investment early demonstrates confidence in the future of Mt Kelly and our Western Operations.
“Together, Mt Kelly and Rocklands position Austral to unlock value from its existing assets while supporting the long-term development of the North West Queensland copper province,” O’Connell said.
