Metso Outotec, it said, will subcontract to its partner Ausenco, so it will support that lead contractor to complete all of the test work, piloting and flowsheet engineering to finish the BFS. Ausenco was tapped for its position on April 7.
Jervois said the first phase of the BFS is due in Q321, and Stage 2, based on concentrates, will be delivered by the end of calendar year 2021.
The miner, which is still working in tandem with Companhia Brasileira de Aluminio (CBA) to complete the SMP refinery purchase, wanted to restart operations at the refinery in 2022.
The restart will run in parallel with the start of production at its Idaho cobalt operations, also known as the ICO project, by the middle of next year.
