Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Tailings |
Commodities |
- REE
- Zircon
- Monazite
- Xenotime
- Ilmenite
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mine Life | 13 years (as of Jan 1, 2020) |
World’s highest grade rare earths operation, based on strategic stockpile of monazite. Phase 1 operations began April 2020. Phase 2 under construction (commissioning H1 2022).
3 April 2022 - Iluka is pleased to announce Board approval of the Eneabba Rare Earths Refinery (Phase 3). This decision has been taken following the achievement of two central milestones associated with the project: • completion of the feasibility study, demonstrating solid economics and significant potential for growth; and • agreement of a risk sharing arrangement with the Australian Government, including through a non-recourse loan under the Australian Government’s $2 billion Critical Minerals Facility, administered by Export Finance Australia (EFA). |
Source:
p. 126
The Eneabba Mineral Separation Plant (MSP) By-Product Mineral Resource is located within mining lease M267SA which is held by Iluka Midwest Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Iluka Resources.
Contractors
- Subscription is required.
Summary:
The Eneabba Mineral Separation Plant (MSP) By-Product Mineral Resource is located within the Perth Basin however the material is made up of mineral sands by-product from Iluka’s Narngulu MSP. Being a minerals sands stockpile there is no geological structure. The stockpile physically presents as a fine grained sand and is approximately 300m in length, 150 wide and varies from 1 to 15m in thickness. The fine grained, dark brown to black material is easily distinguishable from the yellow clayey sand it resides on.
A half to one meter cap of orange brown, gravelly, clayey sand covers the resource. A mixed zone of the by-product and capping immediately below the capping with high HM grade in combination with elevated slimes and oversize is recognised, being defined in the resource estimation and reporting.
The tailings material comprises a mixture of ilmenite, staurolite, aluminosilicates, zircon and the rare earth bearing mineral ‘monazite’, a naturally-occurring radioactive material (NORM).
Summary:
The Eneabba mineral sands recovery project involves the extraction, processing and sale of a historical monazite-rich tailings stockpile that is currently stored in a mining void at Eneabba. Iluka has taken an incremental approach to Eneabba’s development comprising three key phases.
Phase 1 of the development commenced operating in 2020. This produced a mixed monazite-zircon concentrate, with the monazite fraction at approximately 20%
Phase 2 construction commenced in 2021 and is scheduled for commissioning by first half 2022. This will produce two separate concentrates: a zircon-ilmenite concentrate, to be further processed as part of Iluka’s traditional mineral sands operations at Narngulu; and a dedicated 90% monazite concentrate suitable as a direct feed to a rare earths refinery. The monazite concentrate could be sold or could form the basis of feedstock for Iluka’s own rare earth refinery.
Phase 3 involves the development of a fully integrated rare earths refinery at Eneabba. The refinery would have the capability to process feedstocks from within Iluka’s portfolio as well as concentrates supplied by third parties, producing separated rare earth oxides.
If it existed today, Eneabba Phase 3 would be the only operational refinery of its type in the Western world. Phase 3 presents an opportunity to establish a strategic processing hub for the further growth of Australia’s rare earths industry.
The mining will be camp ........

Flow Sheet:
Summary:

- subscription is required.
Production:
Commodity | Product | Units | 2021 | 2020 | Avg. Annual (Projected) |
Total Rare Earth Oxides
|
Mineral in concentrate
|
kt
| | | 12 |
Nd2O3+Pr6O11
|
Mineral in concentrate
|
kt
| | | ......  |
Heavy Minerals
|
Concentrate
|
kt
| ......  | ......  | ......  |
Zircon
|
Mineral in concentrate
|
kt
| | | ......  |
Monazite
|
Mineral in concentrate
|
kt
| | | ......  |
- Subscription is required.
Reserves at April 3, 2022:
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal | Recoverable Metal |
Proven
|
689 kt
|
Heavy Minerals
|
84.7 %
|
kt
|
584 kt
|
Proven
|
584 kt
|
Zircon
|
26.7 %
|
|
|
Proven
|
584 kt
|
Monazite
|
20.4 %
|
|
|
Proven
|
584 kt
|
Xenotime
|
1.2 %
|
|
|
Proven
|
584 kt
|
Ilmenite
|
32.2 %
|
|
|
Probable
|
221 kt
|
Heavy Minerals
|
78.3 %
|
173 kt
|
|
Probable
|
173 kt
|
Zircon
|
33.2 %
|
|
|
Probable
|
173 kt
|
Monazite
|
12.7 %
|
|
|
Probable
|
173 kt
|
Xenotime
|
1.7 %
|
|
|
Probable
|
173 kt
|
Ilmenite
|
35.1 %
|
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
910 kt
|
Heavy Minerals
|
83.1 %
|
756 kt
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
756 kt
|
Zircon
|
28.2 %
|
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
756 kt
|
Monazite
|
18.6 %
|
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
756 kt
|
Xenotime
|
1.3 %
|
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
756 kt
|
Ilmenite
|
32.9 %
|
|
|
Measured
|
682 kt
|
Heavy Minerals
|
84 %
|
573 kt
|
|
Measured
|
573 kt
|
Zircon
|
26.4 %
|
|
|
Measured
|
573 kt
|
Monazite
|
20.2 %
|
|
|
Measured
|
573 kt
|
Xenotime
|
1.2 %
|
|
|
Measured
|
573 kt
|
Ilmenite
|
32.4 %
|
|
|
Indicated
|
237 kt
|
Heavy Minerals
|
78.5 %
|
186 kt
|
|
Indicated
|
186 kt
|
Zircon
|
32.6 %
|
|
|
Indicated
|
186 kt
|
Monazite
|
12.9 %
|
|
|
Indicated
|
186 kt
|
Xenotime
|
1.7 %
|
|
|
Indicated
|
186 kt
|
Ilmenite
|
38.2 %
|
|
|
Inferred
|
43 kt
|
Heavy Minerals
|
69.4 %
|
43 kt
|
|
Inferred
|
43 kt
|
Zircon
|
28.5 %
|
|
|
Inferred
|
43 kt
|
Monazite
|
12.1 %
|
|
|
Inferred
|
43 kt
|
Xenotime
|
1.1 %
|
|
|
Inferred
|
43 kt
|
Ilmenite
|
38.2 %
|
|
|
- Subscription is required.