Lynas Rare Earths switches on in Kalgoorlie

The $10.3 million contract includes one high and seven low voltage switchrooms, plus 13 motor control centres.

The equipment will be manufactured by Mayfield at its Adelaide and Perth facilities, before it’s expected to be delivered to Lynas in March 2022.

In April, Lynas indicated it was optimistic of a post-COVID-19 market recovery and that orders for various equipment would continue with caution.

The Mayfield equipment included the manufacturer’s own Moducell panel technology which is well suited for mining, oil and gas, and industrial applications.

The latest Moducell V2.2 is a metal-clad, low-voltage switchgear solution to reliably distribute power to an operation.

The $500 million Kalgoorlie project is expected to employ around 290 people during the ongoing construction, with almost 400 direct and indirect jobs to be made in the Goldfields-Esperance region.

The project is currently undergoing early construction works since it received approval from the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority.

In mid-July, Lynas also awarded a contract to Metso Outotec for a new kiln at the project’s processing plant.

This contract was worth around $US15 million ($21.6 million) for Metso Outotec, as it will involve discharge housing, combustion chamber and burner, motor control stations and delivery to Kalgoorlie.

“The kiln is the longest lead-time item for our Kalgoorlie project and placing this order is an important milestone in the development of our new processing plant in Kalgoorlie,” Lynas chief executive and managing director Amanda Lacaze said.

“We are making good progress on the project, and we look forward to working with Metso Outotec on the engineering and supply of the kiln.”