Sill 80 project

The SILL 80 ilmenite project is located on the Numul Numul Station just off the Roper Highway in the Roper River Region of the Northern Territory, 105 kilometres east of Mataranka. The project is being developed by Australian Ilmenite Resources Pty Ltd, a company formerly known as Exploration and Resource Development Pty Ltd. Australian Ilmenite Resources Pty Ltd was incorporated in the Northern Territory in 2000 as a private company. It was sold to Maxwealth International Invest Limited in 2007 and all directors at that time were retained.

SILL 80 Ilmenite Project to Supply Ilmenite to China, Japan and Saudi Arabia

The SILL 80 ilmenite project, that has been valued at $8 billion as it contains about 27 million tonnes of ilmenite, will supply ilmenite to the Chinese, Japanese and Saudi Arabian market for use in plastic, paint and paper production. The mine, that has been approved by the Northern Territory government, will employ up to 30 people who will be producing around 300,000 tonnes of ilmenite a year. When in production it will be the only mine site in the world specifically designed to mine ilmenite with a life of mine of around 40 years.

Australian Ilmenite Resources Pty Ltd have exploration licences covering 14,000 square kilometres surrounding the ilmenite deposit discovered on the Numul Numul Station and to date have only explored 10 percent of its holdings.

Ilmenite Resource From Surface Down

The ilmenite ore resource to be mined at the SILL 80 project is available from the surface, down to a depth of between one and three metres. The pits are between 150 and 80 metres long with the ore processed on-site in order to remove the ilmenite. The waste is replaced into the void created by the mining and once filled is dried out and rehabilitated back to pasture. Rehabilitation takes place on a continuous basis as mining progresses, as only abour 10 percent of the soil is removed as ilmenite, the other 90 percent is returned to where it came from. Grass either starts growing naturally, or it is seeded by the company, depending on the needs of the pastoralist.

Bull Paddock Serves as Base for SILL 80 Ilmenite Project

The mine site was previously used as a bull paddock by the station owners but is now dominated by a very large drying shed, processing facilities and transportable buildings. After the ore is mined, it is processed to separate the ilmenite from the waste. It is then stockpiled in the drying shed and once dry is loaded onto trucks that take it by road to the Darwin port for exporting.

Water a Contentious Issue for Further Develooment of the SILL 80 Ilmenite Project

Part of the SILL 80 infrastructure was the building of a large dam to store water. Water to fill the dam is pumped from the Roper River. The mining company has a licence to use 1,600 megalitres a year. However, during dry periods, when the river stops flowing the mine won't be able to take water from the river. During these occassions it will have to rely on its dam storage alone. This is a problem that has held up production starting at the mine. Australian Ilmenite Resources Pty Ltd are therefore investigating various aspects that will allow it to better utilise the available water as well as keeping water loss at a minimum. Taking water from the Roper River is a very contentious issue in the Top End.