Lynas anticipated that commercial rare earth products would be available within a few weeks, with ramp up to design produc-tion to take place over the next three months.

As a consequence of commissioning of the cracking and leaching process, the Lynas plant was also producing sufficient quanti-ties of solids residues to start production of synthetic gypsum and aggregate co-prod-ucts. These products are being subjected to testing and market trials. The plant process-es rare earths oxides concentrate produced at Lynas’s Mount Weld mine and concentra-tor 35 km south of Laverton, Western Australia. Initial production capacity is 11,000 mt/y of separated rare earths oxides, with provision for expansion to 22,000 mt/y.

The LAMP was essentially completed during the first half of 2012, but commis-sioning was delayed by a series of court actions by individuals living near the plant, who had concerns about the potential impact of the plant on the environment.