ALCORE Secures Pilot Plant Facility Location in Tasmania
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
ASX Announcement
15 January 2025
ASX: ABX
ALCORE Secures Pilot Plant Facility Location in
Bell Bay, Tasmania
Engage with this announcement on our interactive Investor Hub
ALCORE to lease existing facility adjacent to Rio Tinto’s Bell Bay Aluminium
smelter for ALCORE’s continuous pilot plant
Process for securing environmental and planning approval is underway
Orders for most key equipment expected to be placed in Q1 2025
ABx Group Limited (ASX: ABX) ("ABx" or "the Company") and its 83%-owned subsidiary,
ALCORE Limited ("ALCORE"), are pleased to announce that it has entered into a lease
agreement with Rio Tinto Aluminium Limited for an industrial facility adjacent to its Bell Bay
aluminium smelter in northern Tasmania. ALCORE will establish a pilot plant at the facility to
demonstrate its world-first proprietary process to produce industrial chemicals, including
hydrogen fluoride, from a waste product created during the aluminium smelting process. In
the planned subsequent commercial plant, hydrogen fluoride will be converted to
aluminium fluoride, an essential chemical for aluminium smelting that is currently 100%
imported. This is an exemplary demonstration of the circular economy.
This agreement is complementary to the recent announcement that the Tasmanian
Government has provided indicative terms and conditions for a $1 million, conditional loan
for the pilot plant.1
The facility comprises a 500 sqm building on an industrial site and offers convenient access
to local engineering services and suppliers in Bell Bay. The building has previously supported
several industrial developments and includes appropriate utilities. ALCORE will make minor
internal modifications to facilitate the continuous pilot plant. The site is also sufficiently large
for a small commercial ALCORE plant.
There is a commercial lease agreement in place with Rio Tinto Aluminium Limited at a
reduced rate as contribution to the pilot plant and project. The lease agreement includes an
option for ALCORE to purchase the site or lease the site for 10 years subject to the proven
1
ABx ASX announcement, 19 December 2024
For more information, please join ABx Group’s interactive Investor Hub: https://abxgroup.com.au/s/965068
ABx Group Limited
Level 4, 100 Albert Road, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
ABN 14 139 494 885
P: +61 3 9692 7222 | F: +61 2 9956 7355
ASX announcement 15 January 2025
page 2
performance of the pilot plant and the decision to construct a commercial plant (and all
relevant approvals having been obtained).
The process for securing environmental and planning approval is already underway, and
ALCORE expects to place orders for most of the key equipment for the pilot plant in Q1 2025.
These developments reflect ALCORE’s continued progress in advancing its technology
towards commercial production.
The Company will continue to provide updates as the pilot plant development progresses.
ABx Group Managing Director and CEO, Mark Cooksey said: "Securing the facility at Bell
Bay is a critical step in advancing our continuous pilot plant. The location is ideal, offering
proximity to key infrastructure while allowing us to progress rapidly with minimal upfront
costs. This is a significant advantage as we move closer to our goal of recycling fluorine waste
into industrial chemicals at a commercial scale. With planning and environmental approvals
underway, we are on track to place orders for most of the major equipment in Q1 2025. The
collaboration with Rio Tinto is an endorsement of ALCORE’s potential and sets the stage for
the next phase of development."
Rio Tinto Bell Bay Aluminium General Manager Richard Curtis said: “Currently all
aluminium smelters in Australia import aluminium fluoride, so if a way can be found to
produce it from a waste product, that makes economic and environmental sense.
“If ABx can do this locally, that’s good for the community and the State of Tasmania, so we
are happy to be able to contribute to this pilot plant.”
See the ABx Investor Hub to watch a video of this announcement and ask any questions of
management.
This announcement is approved for release by the board of directors.
– ENDS –
For further information please contact:
Dr Mark Cooksey
MD & CEO
ABx Group
+61 447 201 536
mcooksey@abxgroup.com.au
www.abxgroup.com.au
Media
Chapter One Advisors
David Tasker / Alex Baker
+61 433 112 936 / +61 432 801 745
dtasker@chapteroneadvisors.com.au /
abaker@chapteroneadvisors.com.au
ASX announcement 15 January 2025
page 3
About ABx Group Limited
ABx Group Limited (ABx) is a uniquely positioned Australian company delivering materials
for a cleaner future.
The two areas of focus are:
Creation of an ionic adsorption clay rare earth project in northern Tasmania
Establishment of a plant to produce hydrogen fluoride and aluminium fluoride from
recycled industrial waste, to replace imports (ALCORE)
There is also a niche business of mining and enhancing bauxite resources for cement,
aluminium and fertiliser production.
ABx endorses best practices on agricultural land and strives to leave land and environment
better than we find it. We only operate where welcomed.
Disclaimer Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This ASX announcement (Announcement) contains various forward-looking statements. All
statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to uncertainties in that they may be
affected by a variety of known and unknown risks, variables and factors which could cause
actual values or results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from the
expectations described in such forward-looking statements.
ABx does not give any assurance that the anticipated results, performance, or achievements
expressed or implied in those forward-looking statements will be achieved.
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