14 May 1998: Australia“s miner and investor Gwalia Consolidated Ltd. said it plans to increase tantalum production by about 15% over the next two years.
Total production at its Western Australia sta…
14 May 1998: Australia“s miner and investor Gwalia Consolidated Ltd. said it plans to increase tantalum production by about 15% over the next two years. Total production at its Western Australia state operations would rise from about 800,000 pounds in the year to 30 June 1998 to about 925,000 pounds in 1999/2000, Gwalia said in a statement accompanying its third quarter results. The increase was designed to meet new contracts with two big customers, which had a gross value of A$ 350 million over the years 1998-2003 inclusive, it said. Gwalia said additional plant capacity at its Wodgina Mine would boost production from about 160,000 pounds a year to about 300,000 pounds. Gwalia also said it had decided to cut back its tantalum open pit at its Greenbushes mine, and would access large low grade resources delineated during the past year. Tantalum is widely used in the electronics industry to make capacitors, particularly those used in mobile phones, and in the metal cutting industry.