Wickepin Kaolin Project
WA Kaolin has an established Ore Reserve Estimate (JORC 2012) of more than 64 million tonnes1 of extremely high-grade, easy access kaolinite at a site near the town of Wickepin, 220km southeast of Perth, Western Australia. This represents one of the largest known remaining premium primary resources of kaolin in the world.
Project is located near Wickepin, WA
Tenement Map
The project is strategically located in a safe, stable and proven jurisdiction with the support of an engaged regional community and with easy access to existing infrastructure including road, rail and ports for exporting product to multiple growing markets.
WA Kaolin has developed a proprietary dry processing method, known as K99, turning raw material into market suitable feedstock for global customers. The Company constructed a Stage 1 commercial processing plant using full scale equipment on three hectares of portside industrial land at Kwinana, near Fremantle in Western Australia.
WA Kaolin has established commercial operations at its Wickepin site and produces kaolin products which are shipped to major producers and customers through the ports of Fremantle and Bunbury. The Wickepin Plant was commissioned in September 2022, allowing the Company to commence ramp up of K99 production to a Stage 1 capacity of 200,000 tonnes per annum. It is anticipated that free cash flow will enable the further expansion of this capacity to 400,000 tonnes per annum.
The Company had contracted ACFS Port Logistics Pty Ltd for transport services between the Wickepin Kaolin Project and ACFS’s Fremantle Port facility in Western Australia. Under the agreement, ACFS will transport bagged kaolin by container from the Wickepin Processing Plant to Fremantle Port for export.
WA Kaolin is strongly committed to employing local residents from Western Australia’s Wheatbelt region for roles at the Wickepin Kaolin Project with the vast majority of our staff living in nearby towns and commuting daily.
The project comprises four retention licences (R70/40, R70/42, R70/43 and R70/44) and a single mining lease (M70/1143). The total tenement area exceeds 10,000 hectares and has been extensively studied with over 17,000 metres of air core drilling conducted. The total Ore Reserve Estimate (JORC 2012) is 64.9 million tonnes1.
| Depost | JORC classification | Tonnes (Mt) | ISO brightness (%) | Yield (%) | In situ Kaolin (Mt) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wickepin | Proved | 15.8 | 81.9 | 49.9 | 7.9 |
| Probable | 49.1 | 82.2 | 50.7 | 24.9 | |
| Total | 64.9 | 82.2 | 50.5 | 32.8 |
table ref: CSA Global Resource Report R301.2023
- CSA Global Resource Report R301.2023 | JORC Table 1 (R301.2023) | Competent Person Statement (R301.2023)
De-risked and mining ready
Personal investment from the founding directors has de-risked the pathway to profit, with AU$39 million invested in acquisition of the project, environment, permitting, marketing and capital expenditure (capex) activities in support of the multi-generational mine life and long-term prospects of the business. During the process, the Company developed a Tier 1, global customer base.
WA Kaolin developed the K99 dry process in a working pilot plant in Kwinana, Western Australia, with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes per annum, delivering an ultra-bright kaolin targeted at a low production cost compared to competitors.
Circa AU$18 million of investment will support the Stage 1 ramp up to commercial production, including the construction of a processing plant at Wickepin, utilising the K99 process, to progressively increase production to more than 200,000 tonnes per annum.
WA Kaolin’s strategic plan contemplates utilising free cashflow to expand production capacity to >400,000 tonnes per annum after 36 months.
