Markets 
Western Australia’s contribution to the surging critical minerals market is heating up, with one company set to begin production at its antimony mine, while a second believes it is sitting on the biggest titanium deposit in the world.
Antimony has been flagged as one of the minerals under the Commonwealth’s $1.2 billion strategic reserve, with the Australian government identifying the resource as crucial to clean-energy and high-technology manufacturing, as well as advanced military equipment.
Titanium is also on the government’s critical minerals list, and is considered in demand from strategic international partners including the United States, Europe, India and Japan.
WA-based company Larvotto Resources currently holds the largest antimony mineral resource in the country at its Hillgrove project, near Armidale in New South Wales.
This week, the company announced it would start production at the site before the end of the month, less than three years after acquiring the project.
Managing director Ron Heeks said commencing production had been the company’s first major target, but he had bigger ambitions for the operation.
“This has been a remarkable journey from acquisition in December 2023 to production, delivered in less than three years,” he said.
“We are focused on growing Hillgrove into a multi-decade mining centre through ongoing exploration programs across the wider Hillgrove project and expanding our critical mineral production profile, including the potential addition of tungsten.
“Becoming Australia’s newest critical mineral producer is a significant achievement, at a time where securing reliable supply of critical minerals, and in particular antimony, has become a strategic priority for governments around the world.”
At full production, the company expects to produce almost 5000 tonnes of antimony each year over a current initial eight-year mine life. The operation is looking to produce between 5 to 7 per cent of global mine supply of the mineral.
Tungsten is also one of the resources listed on the Commonwealth’s critical mineral list,
Meanwhile, Empire Metals has just announced that its Pitfield project near Three Springs in WA’s Midwest region holds what it believes to be the world’s largest titanium deposit.
While the company is currently listed on the Alternative Investment Market, a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, it is looking to become dual listed on the ASX this year.
According to Empire’s latest announcement, the company has now claimed its project hosts the “world’s largest publicly reported titanium resource”.
Managing director Shaun Bunn said while the scale of the operation is clearly important, the quality of the upgrade is equally significant.
“Western Australia now hosts the world’s largest publicly reported titanium resource,” he said.
“This upgrade moves Pitfield beyond an exploration story, with our first measured resource providing the confidence needed to advance mine planning, processing and economic studies.”
According to the company, the mineral resource at Pitfield now stands at a massive 8.16 billion tonnes at 4.3 per cent titanium oxide – containing 349 million tonnes of titanium oxide.
Empire, which owns 70 per cent of the operation and is the manager and sole operator of Pitfield, believes its scale, location and demonstrated processing pathway give it the potential to become a significant new source of titanium products from Western Australia.
“We have also demonstrated a processing route capable of producing high-purity titanium dioxide,” Bunn said.
“With our planned ASX dual listing also progressing, we believe this is an important time for Empire as we advance a globally significant titanium resource in Western Australia.”
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