Western Magnesium Corporation has told investors that it is making progress with its Harrison County plant in Ohio, taking it one step closer to rebuilding the US industrial base by offering its innovative, eco-friendly, and high-quality clean magnesium metal production solution.
The company said the 122-acre property’s proximity to the future home of a modern mixed fuels power plant, a dolomite supplier, and an infrastructure of rail and highway will carry its finished magnesium product to industries across the US.
Evaluation work at the plant property is now underway as local drone and geotechnical firms have conducted light detection and ranging (LIDAR) drone surveys, as well as a topographical fly-over on the magnesium metal production property. The survey will enable Geographic Information System models to be created for environmental planning, geotechnical drilling, and early civil works planning for the property evaluation, facility design, and location, the company added.
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“We are excited to have started work on the site, building toward the first full-scale deployment of our proprietary magnesium extraction technology in the United States,” president and CEO Sam Ataya said in a statement.
“Each step that we take continues to lay the foundation for building a state-of-the-art magnesium production plant, which will provide hundreds of safe and well-paying jobs in the Harrison County area.”
Western Magnesium said the raw data and model sets have been completed and supplied by the contractors, with the data now ready to be reviewed by one of the chosen engineering, procurement, and construction management groups that are currently undergoing review for the project.
The near-term use of the data is to create the cut-fill analysis prior to early earthworks beginning at the plant, to allow for proper planning and permitting of this process. A geotechnical drilling program to analyze and understand the stability and composition of the property will commence shortly thereafter.
“Once the geotechnical work is complete, we will start the exciting process of working with local companies in Ohio to bid for the earthworks,” Ataya added.
Western Magnesium's goal is to be a low-cost producer of green, primary magnesium metal, a strategic commodity prized for its strength and lightweight.
Unlike outdated and costly production processes, Western Magnesium looks to use a continuous silicothermic process to produce magnesium, which significantly reduces labor and energy costs relative to current methods and processes, while being environmentally friendly.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com