Mining Intelligence and News
Australia

Lake Way Mine

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Categories

Summary

Mine TypeIn-Situ
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Sulfate of potash (SOP)
  • Potassium
Mining Method
  • Brine mining
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotIn July 2024, SO4 produced its first high-quality sulphate of potash (SOP), "Prime High K Standard" (53% K2O, <1.0% chloride), at the Lake Way facility, which is still in commissioning.

Sev.en Global Investments group has allocated significant capital to upgrade the Lake Way infrastructure, including new processing units to handle diverse feedstock from salt lakes.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Sev.en Global Investments 100 % Indirect
Piper Preston Pty Ltd (SO4) (operator) 100 % Indirect
Piper Preston Pty Ltd, trading as SO4 is the company operating the Lake Way Sulphate of Potash (SOP) project. SO4 is a subsidery Sev.en Global Investments.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Brine

Summary:

The deposit is a salt-lake brine deposit. The lake setting is typical of a Western Australian palaeovalley environment. Ancient hydrological systems have incised palaeovalleys into Archaean basement rocks, which were then infilled by Tertiary-aged sediments typically comprising a coarse- grained fluvial basal sand overlaid by palaeovalley clay with some coarser grained interbeds. The clay is overlaid by recent Cainozoic material including lacustrine sediment, calcrete, evaporite and aeolian deposits.

The province is characterised by granite–greenstone rocks that exhibit a prominent northwest tectonic trend and low to medium-grade metamorphism. The Archaean rocks are intruded by East– West dolerite dykes of Proterozoic age, and in the eastern area there are small, flat-lying outliers of Proterozoic and Permian sedimentary rocks. The basement rocks are generally poorly exposed owing to low relief, extensive superficial cover, and widespread deep weathering. A key characteristic of the goldfields is the occurrence of paleochannel aquifers. These paleodrainages are incised into the Archean basement and in-filled with a mixed Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary sequence.

The paleochannel sediments of Lake Way are characterised by a mixed sedimentary sequence including sand, silts and clays of lacustrine, aeolian, fluvial and colluvial depositional origins. These near-surface deposits also include chemically-derived sediments of calcrete, silcrete and ferricrete. Beneath eastern parts of the playa, there is a deep paleochannel that is infilled with Tertiary-aged paleochannel clay and basal sands in the deepest portion.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Commodity Production

In July 2024, SO4 produced its first high-quality sulphate of potash (SOP).
CommodityUnitsAvg. Annual (Projected)
All production numbers are expressed as salt.

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 21, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 11, 2019
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 21, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 21, 2025

Workforce

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2025

Aerial view:

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