Great Western subsidiary LCM Receives Production Approval
Great Western Minerals (CVE: GWG, OTC: GWMGF, FFT: GWM) announced that its subsidiary Less Common Metals (LCM) in Birkenhead, UK, has now received production approval from the UK environmental authority.
The Environment Agency permit allows LCM to produce rare earth-based specialty alloys from its new, second site in Birkenhead: Hooton Park.
Great Western announced last month that LCM had started up the new furnace there. The installation began in November 2011.
LCM will now produce neodymium-iron-boron alloys in several test runs that meet strict customer requirements. Neodymium-iron-boron is mainly used in the manufacture of strong magnets. The first results of the test runs are to be presented in May 2012.
The new smelting furnace increases Great Western's alloy production capacity by around 50%.
Great Western produces rare earth-based specialty alloys for batteries, magnetics, and the aerospace industry from two locations: LCM and Great Western Technologies (GWT) of Troy, Michigan.
It is also currently developing the Steenkampskraal Rare Earth Project in South Africa and owns four rare earth exploration properties in North America.
