Equipment conditions allow for quick refinery restart – First Cobalt
The Glencore-backed First Cobalt refinery, in Ontario, remains in good condition for a quick restart and is expected to start supplying the North American market next year, First Cobalt president and CEO Trent Mell confirmed on Wednesday.
In an update on the refinery feasibility study, he said that the study results to date were in line with the company’s expectations. The prefeasibility study for a 12 t/d restart and a second definitive feasibility study for a 55 t/d expansion scenario would be completed in the first quarter of next year.
Given the field work completed to date, the confidence level in the 12 t/d scenario could potentially reach the definitive feasibility study level, the company said.
Ausenco Engineering Canada only used four of the six weeks set out for a field programme to assess the condition of the equipment and systems, largely owing to the overall good condition of the equipment that was tested.
First Cobalt is contemplating recommissioning the refinery in partnership with Glencore at 12 t/d in the fourth quarter of 2020 and then expanding to 55 t/d in the second half of 2021.
A scoping study released in May 2019 concluded that the refinery could be expanded to 55 t/d at a capital cost of $37.5-million. The study and supporting metallurgical testwork estimated that the refinery is capable of producing more than 25 000 t/y of battery-grade cobalt sulphate for the electric vehicle industry (about 5 000 t of contained cobalt).
First Cobalt is also considering a dry stack tailings management facility as an alternative to tailing impoundments for the 55 t/d operating scenario. Dry stacking or filtered tailings have a number of benefits, including a smaller environmental footprint and lower water treatment requirements.
Knight Piésold completed geotechnical drilling on a potential new tailings area in First Cobalt's 80-acre clay field to the north of the refinery complex to support feasibility-level design work.
Further, the company reported that Story Environmental was engaging with regulatory authorities to ensure that the 12 t/d restart scenario complied with existing permits and new baseline studies were in progress in anticipation of amending existing permits for an expansion.
A final decision to put the refinery back into production is contingent on the outcome of the feasibility study and the completion of a long-term feed supply agreement with Glencore.
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