Highlights

• Western Australia has world-class mining capabilities but lacks midstream processing and manufacturing capacity for critical minerals.
• Only 13 of 31 critical minerals are commercially processed in WA, with significant potential for value-added downstream development.
• Strategic recommendations include:
  • Improving by-product recovery
  • Enhancing industrial policy
  • Building circular economy capabilities

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A new conference paper presented at the Critical Minerals Conference 2025 (Perth, 2–4 Sept.) maps Western Australia’s (WA) strengths—and structural gaps—across exploration, mining, processing, and manufacturing for 31 government-designated critical minerals. The study, led by Anvar Mammadli (opens in a new tab) (Western Australian School of Mines, Curtin University) with co-authors P. A. Opoku, A. Ibrahim, C. Wessels, G. Barakos (Curtin University), and N. Roocke (Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia), offers a first integrated, state-level view of opportunities and bottlenecks across the full value chain.

Study Snapshot (What They Did)

Using a mixed-methods approach (resource data, policy review, and value-chain mapping), the team built standardized profiles for each commodity—covering exploration, mining, processing/recycling, manufacturing, and ESG—then benchmarked WA’s capabilities against international practice.

Key Findings (What They Found)

Western Australia has world-class rocks and a world-class mining machine. Lithium, nickel, alumina/bauxite, and rare earths roll out of the ground at scale. But the middle of the chain—the part where ores become high-value chemicals and components—is thin. Limited refining and manufacturing capacity means semi-processed material still heads offshore, mostly to Asia, where the real margin is captured.

The “minor” minerals tell an even sharper story. Antimony, arsenic, gallium, germanium, scandium, beryllium, and others mostly show up as by-products. Data on them is patchy, grades can be low, and processing routes are scarce. The result: strategic talk without much bankable value.

Processing is the bottleneck. Only about 13 of 31 critical minerals are commercially processed in WA today. Even rare earths—where WA has real momentum—hit practical limits: complex separations, tricky waste streams, and fragile inputs like key reagents that can choke scale-up plans.

Downstream manufacturing remains the missing engine. WA still imports batteries, motors, and magnet components, exporting opportunities along with concentrate. Yes, vanadium redox flow battery pilots and battery-chemical hubs are emerging—but they’re in the early stages, not a fully operational factory row.

Underneath it all sits a data problem. Inconsistent datasets and weak tracking of by-products blur the picture for investors. When you can’t see the pipeline clearly, capital stays cautious. Fix the data, build the midstream, and the state can turn geological luck into durable industrial power.

Implications (Why It Matters)

• De-risking supply chains means building the middle: To turn resource strength into strategic autonomy, WA must add midstream separation, chemical conversion, and magnet/precursor capacity, not just more mines.
• Unlock by-product value: Systematic by-product recovery (e.g., Ga/Ge/Sc) can lift project economics and diversify export baskets with relatively modest capex—if measurement and permitting catch up.
• Finance + policy alignment: Targeted incentives, faster approvals, and industrial co-location (energy, reagents, waste treatment) can compress learning curves and improve bankability.
• Circularity as capacity: Building recycling and take-back for batteries, catalysts, and magnets bolsters domestic feedstock and ESG credibility.

Limitations (Read the Fine Print)

• Scope: WA-focused; results may not generalize to other states or countries.
• Evidence base: Conference paper (not a peer-reviewed journal article); some commodities rely on historical or incomplete datasets.
• Time window: Data consolidated to 1980–2025 with uneven coverage for lesser-known minerals; downstream cost curves and reagent security remain moving targets.

Conclusion

WA sits on premier geology and a mature mining machine. The next gains won’t come from the pit—but from process engineering, by-product recovery, circular flows, and manufacturing. If WA can stitch those pieces together, it won’t just export concentrates; it will export capability—and keep more value at home.

Citation: Mammadli, A., Opoku, P. A., Ibrahim, A., Wessels, C., Barakos, G., Roocke, N. “_Addressing Western Australia’s critical minerals – opportunities, bottlenecks, and perspectives._” Critical Minerals Conference 2025, Perth, Australia, 2–4 Sept. 2025.

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