Tivan Limited has reached a significant milestone in its Speewah Vanadium Project, located in the Kimberley region of north-east Western Australia, by appointing global professional services firm Hatch to conduct the pre-feasibility study (PFS).
This move underscores Tivan’s commitment to advancing the development of a conventional salt roast vanadium operation at Speewah, the ASX-listed company said in a media release.
In a move announced in Q3 2023, Tivan engaged Hatch to undertake an engineering review in preparation for the commencement of the PFS.
This review included evaluating prior scoping work, developing a basis of design, selecting a base flowsheet, identifying trade-off studies, and defining testwork requirements.
An intensive two-day technical workshop, overseen by Hatch in Q4 2023, brought together senior technical staff from both Hatch and Tivan, along with industry experts from organisations such as Orway Mineral Consultants (a subsidiary of Lycopodium), METS Engineering, SRK Consulting, Metso, FLSmidth, and SRD Consulting.
The workshop facilitated discussions and agreements on the project’s approach, paving the way for PFS metallurgical testwork and engineering studies.
The upcoming PFS for the Speewah Vanadium Project will evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of a conventional salt roast vanadium mining, beneficiation, and processing operation at the Speewah mine site.
The study will encompass various aspects, including mining, hydrology, tailings management, engineering, and project economics, with inputs from Hatch and other consulting firms.
Tivan anticipates reporting the PFS results in Q3 2024.
Tivan Executive Chairman Grant Wilson expressed his satisfaction, stating that they were delighted to appoint Hatch to deliver the Pre-Feasibility Study for the Speewah Vanadium Project.
He remarked, “We are on track to deliver an industry-defining PFS at Speewah, that will facilitate the development of Long Duration Energy Storage as a sovereign capability, commencing at the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct. In Hatch we have a partner of unrivalled technical expertise that shares our vision of the global energy transition.”
Commenting on behalf of Hatch, Director – Metals, Australia-Asia Claude D’Cruz expressed delight in continuing their work with Tivan, building on their engineering review work to move the Speewah Vanadium Project forward.
“Tivan’s highly collaborative, transparent, and agile working model aligns very well with Hatch’s values and culture. We look forward to further strengthening our partnership with Tivan as we jointly progress the Speewah Pre-Feasibility Study,” the director noted.
The scope of the PFS extends to developing a concept design for Tivan’s proposed vanadium electrolyte production facility in the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct in Darwin.
This facility aims to utilise vanadium produced at Speewah for manufacturing high-purity vanadium electrolyte, crucial for vanadium redox flow batteries.
Hatch, a global professional services group with a vast network of 10,000 professionals spanning over 150 countries, brings extensive experience in the metals, energy, and infrastructure sectors.
The firm’s expertise in the vanadium sector, demonstrated through involvement in numerous projects across South Africa, the Middle East, and North America, includes the development of flowsheets utilising pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recovery techniques.
