The rebate relates to an investment of approximately A$10m at the Broken Hill Demonstration Plant. Activities conducted at the Demonstration Plant have included continued operations to evaluate equipment performance and optimisation strategies that have produced bulk samples of Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate (MHP) and high-grade cobalt and nickel sulphate.
Cobalt Blue last year also upgraded the refinery circuit within the Demonstration Plant that contributed to the Cobalt-Nickel Refinery Study, which evaluated the construction and operation of a proposed refinery in the Kwinana Industrial Area (south of Perth, Western Australia) to treat cobalt intermediates and produce battery-grade cobalt and nickel sulphates. The Study provides a suitable platform for advancing the project through the next stages of pre-development, up to a Financial Investment Decision planned in mid-2024.