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Austral Resources has received its 4.75-megawatt (MW) semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill at the Rocklands copper project in Queensland, removing a major procurement hurdle ahead of the operation’s planned restart in the second half of 2027.
The mill, described by Austral as the largest single procurement risk in the refurbishment program, was transported approximately 1700km from Cobar in New South Wales to the company’s Eastern Operations near Cloncurry.
Austral secured the as-new equipment domestically earlier this year, avoiding the higher costs and longer lead times associated with purchasing a new mill from overseas.
The SAG mill will form the centrepiece of Rocklands’ redesigned processing circuit, replacing the existing three-stage cone crushing system with a simplified configuration.
The latest milestone builds on previous funding secured for the Rocklands restart, including Queensland Government support for the project’s refurbishment.
More recently, Austral also secured $15 million through the Queensland Critical Minerals Fund to support studies examining an expansion of Rocklands’ processing capacity from three million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to between 4.5Mtpa and 6Mtpa.
In the culmination of these events, Austral chairman David Newling said the delivery represented an important milestone in the company’s restart preparations.
“The SAG mill was the largest single procurement risk in the Rocklands rebuild. Being able to source an as-new mill in New South Wales was a positive outcome for us, avoiding the higher cost and longer lead time of buying one from overseas,” Newling said.
“The team has done a great job securing the approvals and managing the logistics to get the mill to site.
“We’ve made a significant investment to purchase this equipment and bring it to Rocklands, and we’re keen to get it installed, get it spinning and our feedstock ready as we bring Rocklands back into production.”
The redesigned front-end circuit follows a technical review undertaken by CMD Consulting earlier this year, with GR Engineering Services responsible for the front-end engineering design study.
Austral said it expects the simplified arrangement to reduce operational risks and capital requirements while aligning Rocklands with conventional copper concentrator designs.
The company plans to appoint a construction management contractor before the end of 2026, with refurbishment works expected to support production in the second half of 2027.
The expansion, Austral said, could strengthen Rocklands’ role as a regional copper processing hub, accommodating material from Austral’s existing operations and potential third-party sources.
Meanwhile, Austral’s proposed acquisition of Hammer Metals recently received shareholder approval, advancing plans to consolidate additional copper resources around its Queensland processing infrastructure.
The transaction remains subject to court approval and outstanding conditions.
With the SAG mill now on site, Austral’s immediate focus will turn to installation and the remaining front-end modifications required to return Rocklands to production.
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