Operations
Wodgina and Greenbushes
The Wodgina and Greenbushes deposits are the world's two largest developed mineral resources of tantalum.
Wodgina is located approximately 100km south of Port Hedland in the Pilbara region in the north-west of Western Australia. (See map)
Wodgina has one of the world's largest hard rock tantalum resources. Its tantalum ore bodies have been worked for tin, tantalum and beryl since their discovery in 1902. Tantalum production began in 1905 with most early production from alluvial and eluvial deposits.
The present Wodgina operation was established in 1989 and was progressively expanded during the 1990s. A major expansion was completed in 2002, with production capacity increasing to 1.3 million pounds of Ta2O5 per annum.
The mining operation extracts tantalum bearing pegmatite ores from the Mount Cassiterite and South Tinstone open pits. The ores are crushed, milled and fed into Wodgina's advanced gravity separation plant.
The Wodgina plant produces primary tantalum concentrate, which is then sent to the Greenbushes mining operation for secondary processing to produce on-specification, saleable tantalum products. Greenbushes is located 250km south-east of Perth and the Port of Fremantle, which is the major container terminal in Western Australia.
The Greenbushes deposit also contains one of the world's largest hard rock tantalum resources. The operation comprises open cut and underground mines, crusher, primary processing plant as well as the secondary processing plant that can treat the primary tantalum concentrate from Wodgina and Greenbushes. The operation has the capacity to produce about 1.0 million pounds of Ta2O5 per annum.
Talison Tantalum's focus is on creating a sustainable, long term operation with outstanding performance in environment, health and safety and community management.
Both operations are on care and maintenance but can be brought back into production when demand for its products is required.