Australian miner assesses mineral sands deposits in Puttalam

A major participant in the global sand industry, Iluka Resources Ltd of Australia says it is currently assessing the potential for the development of a mineral sands deposit in Puttalam, Sri Lanka.

The mineral sands deposit known as the Puttalam Quarry (PQ) is a large sulphate ilmenite deposit, located approximately 30 kilometers north of the town of Puttalam in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka, approximately 170 kilometers from the capital Colombo.

Iluka is in the early stages of evaluating these resources for the potential development of a conventional mineral sands mining and processing operation.

The Perth-based company’s Quarterly Production Report includes the PQ project as a planned new production.

A scoping study was completed in 2015 and a pre-feasibility study is being undertaken on a limited number of work packages relating to pre-mining or baseline conditions of the PQ deposit.

The PQ project work is focused on legal and investment terms for the development and includes securing surface access rights, ministerial and other governmental approvals for any subsequent mining license, reaching agreement with the Sri Lanka Government regarding the extent of in-country upgrading and Iluka’s ultimate percentage holding in subsequent mining operations.

The project, if approved by the Sri Lankan authorities and proceeded with by the company, can be expected to contribute economically and socially to the country, including direct and indirect employment; the introduction of new mining, processing and industrial technology to Sri Lanka, as well as high value export products generating material foreign exchange revenues for the country, the Company said.