McLaren Minerals advances WA titanium heavy‑mineral sands project

McLaren Minerals, formerly Allup Silica, is developing a 529‑million‑tonne JORC‑compliant heavy‑mineral sands resource in Western Australia’s Eucla Basin near Esperance. The deposit grades 4.5% heavy minerals, yielding about 23.7 Mt of in‑situ heavy minerals, and is hosted on 333 km² of crown land with road access to the Eyre Highway and the port of Esperance.

A February pre‑feasibility study projects a 15.9‑year mine life, a pre‑tax net present value of US$252.2 million, an internal rate of return of 26%, life‑of‑mine EBITDA of US$899.7 million and a payback period of 3.7 years. The initial plan is to process 186 Mt per year at 5.85% heavy minerals, producing sulphate ilmenite for titanium dioxide pigment and other industrial uses. Recent drilling has reported high‑grade intercepts, including up to 34.6% heavy minerals, supporting the move toward a bankable‑feasibility study and potential ore reserve definition.