Strandline Resources Limited advised that it has initiated a scoping study on the potential to increase the planned production rate by up to 50% at its 100%-owned Coburn minerals sands project in WA. The production increase would be aimed at enabling Coburn to capitalise further on its world-class resource, long mine life, high mineral sands prices and strong demand for offtake among leading customers in the US, Europe and China. Any expansion is expected to be funded out of future Coburn cashflow and leverage significantly off Coburn's infrastructure (currently being constructed), especially the inherent design capacity within the processing plant circuitry.

Preliminary investigations highlight the potential compelling capital and operating cost efficiencies of scaling-up the project, further enhancing Coburn's already strong competitive position. Construction at Coburn is 65% complete and the project is on-budget and on-schedule, with first production of heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) set for the December quarter, 2022. Coburn will produce critical minerals of zircon, titanium (rutile and ilmenite) and monazite mineral (rare earths).

Coburn has an initial mine life of 22.5 years based on the current JORC-compliant Ore Reserves, with the potential to extend this beyond 2060 (40 years) by converting Mineral Resources which exist adjacent and immediately north and along strike of the existing Ore Reserves. In May-2021 Strandline made a Final Investment Decision (FID) to proceed with the full development of its world-scale Coburn mineral sands project, located in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The construction schedule has first production of HMC planned for the December quarter of 2022.

The Coburn project is set to capitalise on its robust margins, the strengthening minerals sands commodity pricing outlook, its tier-1 location, and the growing demand for critical minerals. The Coburn mine life currently sees mining continue until 2045 (based on mining the initial 22.5-year JORC compliant Ore Reserves), with the potential to extend to beyond 2060 (40 years mine life) by converting Mineral Resources which exist adjacent immediately north and along strike of existing Ore Reserves. The FID was supported by the updated Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), released in mid-2020, which confirmed robust economics for the project over an initial 22.5-year life.