Uley Graphite mine to call for staff
2011-09-27
Sep. 26, 2011 - Mega Graphite Australia (MGA) and Strategic Energy Resources (SER) will call for staff in the next few months for the Uley Graphite Project, with a view to be shipping product for international sales at the end of this year or start of 2012.
Staff will be needed to upgrade and manage the mine as well as for production and ongoing maintenance.
Company representatives visited the site this week to assess the plant, which has undergone regular maintenance since mining stopped in the 1990s.
"Our engineers are looking at getting the plant up and running as quickly as possible," SER managing director Mark Muzzin said.
"We're looking at re-processing some of the product that's already here that was considered waste when it was in production."
The mine failed in the 1990s due to the low price of graphite, but the price has been strong since the development of graphite heat sinks, which store renewable energy and have the ability to generate 24-hour electricity.
MGA managing director Chris Darby said graphite produced at Uley will be used in high-technology applications such as batteries and LED screens.
It could become a major world resource as the only graphite mine in Australia.
About 8000 tonnes of graphite has already been mined and will be re-processed, with another 80,000 tonnes set to be mined later next year.
"It will be a simple digging operation with relatively low impact," Mr Darby said.
"The top soil will be removed and replaced afterward.
"There is a need for careful and well planned environmental assessment and management as the mine progresses."
The ore will be processed at the mine site and shipped out of Port Adelaide.
Mega is in the process of acquiring the project's production, negotiating a share-swap arrangement so SER retains a royalty from sales revenue.
Mr Muzzin said the future for graphite was in the development of high-tech and value-added products for the high-end growing technology and green markets.
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