Shooting from the hip here but on the basis of some concentrate numbers I saw for WA1 then the Ta205 value contained in ore could exceed the Nb2O5 value. Not sure on current prices, but I guess Ta2O5 in concentrate is worth about US$150/kg cf US$35 for Nb2O5. So the project is not just a pure play niobium project. From Greenbushes days, niobium was just a pest in recovering 99.99% Ta2O5 product in the on site SX plant, specifically developed for the job.
Shooting from the hip here but on the basis of some concentrate numbers I saw for WA1 then the Ta205 value contained in ore could exceed the Nb2O5 value. Not sure on current prices, but I guess Ta2O5 in concentrate is worth about US$150/kg cf US$35 for Nb2O5. So the project is not just a pure play niobium project. From Greenbushes days, niobium was just a pest in recovering 99.99% Ta2O5 product in the on site SX plant, specifically developed for the job.