Abra plant a step closer following equipment order

Abra is the joint venture partner with Galena Mining for the Western Australian processing plant.

Abra’s ball mill will be created by leading mining and ore processing equipment manufacturer CITIC-Heavy Industries, in Luoyang, China, while the concentrate filter will be manufactured by Ishigaki Co. at their facility in Sakaide, Japan.

Galena managing director Tony James said ordering the equipment is a key step in the plant build program for Abra.

“The ball mill and the concentrate filter are internationally-sourced long lead-time items required for the plant and the company, in consultation with GR Engineering, has chosen trusted, industry-leading suppliers for both items,” James said.

The mill is a 5.0 metre diameter x 5.6 metre grinding-length fixed-speed single pinion-driven 2.5 MW ball mill and will assist in processing the extracted ore from the Abra site.

Once the ore is processed into lead-silver concentrate, it will then be dewatered, thickened and filtered before being transported to Geraldton for shipping.

Located in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, the Abra Base Metals Project was given the green light in June, with full production of its lead-silver concentrate scheduled for the first quarter of the 2023 calendar year.

Galena is expected to initiate the portal and decline development in the third quarter of the 2021 calendar year, while physical on-site plant construction is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of the 2021 calendar year.