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12th April 2023

Media Release & media coverage - West Cobar Metals 'Salazar Rare Earth Elements (REE) Project Metallurgical Testwork Update' featuring COEMinerals engagement

West Cobar Metals / 12 April 2023 Media Release can be read in full here: https://clients3.weblink.com.a…

Media Release title: SALAZAR REE PROJECT METALLURGICAL TESTWORK UPDATE

Media Release extracts featuring COEMinerals:

Highlights

● Metallurgical testwork on REE mineralisation from the Newmont and O’Connor areas at Salazar is well advanced, having been conducted in various phases since 2011 

● Work undertaken to date indicates the REE clay minerals are amenable to acid leach extraction at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure1 

● Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) engaged to undertake further metallurgical studies aimed at optimising previous leach test results utilising hydrochloric and organic acid 

● Additional front-end beneficiation trials continue with Nagrom and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals

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Beneficiation Program

West Cobar continues to pursue two distinct beneficiation options for Salazar via Nagrom and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals to complement the leaching testwork studies. The aim of the beneficiation studies is to achieve a significant upgrade to and enhanced recovery of rare earths. Beneficiation, if successful, has the potential to positively impact commerciality of the project by reducing the quantity of rare earth ore input into a leaching process. The Salazar Project includes the clay-hosted Newmont REE deposit which contains an Inferred Mineral Resource2 of 43.5Mt at 1192ppm total rare earth oxide (TREO).3 The project’s tenements include an additional exploration target of 200 – 500Mt at 10001400ppm TREO.*

*West Cobar ASX announcement dated 7 November 2022

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Media coverage includes: 

https://​min​ing​.com​.au/​w​e​s​t-cob…

(https://​min​ing​.com​.au/​w​e​s​t​-​c​o​b​a​r​-​m​e​t​a​l​s​-​e​n​l​i​s​t​s​-​a​n​s​t​o​-​t​o​-​a​s​s​i​s​t​-​w​i​t​h​-​m​e​t​a​l​l​u​r​g​i​c​a​l​-​t​e​s​t​w​o​r​k​-​a​t​-​s​a​l​a​z​a​r​-​r​e​e​-​p​r​o​ject/)