The joint venture will use Rio Tinto's existing rail, port and power infrastructure
The existing gravity plant sits next to the underground mine access point
Spargoville has mineral resources of 124,000 tonnes grading 1.9% nickel
Total ore mined would be 8.4Mt over an initial 10-year mine life
A mineral separation plant will also be built at the nearby Boonanarring operations
Ausgold would need pre-production capital of $297 million to develop Katanning
The upper levels of the Break of Day underground mine will also be mined for two years
Mt Chalmers resource stands at 11.3Mt grading at 1.22% copper equivalent.
With the tungsten price strong at about $471/mtu, EQ is keen to get started at Mt Carbine.
With nickel soaring to more than $20/lb and cobalt hitting about $49/lb, GME hits start on NiWest.
As part of the stage 1 open pit PFS Focus is looking at mining five open-pit deposits.