ACDC Metals Limited’s Goschen Central Project Delivers $384M NPV, 24% IRR & 4-Year Payback in Integrated Heavy Mineral and Rare Earth Strategy
Thursday, June 12, 2025
at
8:27 am
ACDC Metals Limited unveils a promising scoping study for its Goschen Central heavy mineral sand and rare earth project in Victoria. The study highlights strong cashflows, low capital intensity, and long-life potential, positioning the company for competitive gains in critical minerals.
ACDC Metals Limited has released a comprehensive scoping study on its Goschen Central Project located in Victoria’s Murray Basin. The study outlines a two-phase strategy that begins with a traditional heavy mineral sand operation producing a zircon-titania heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) and a rare earth mineral concentrate (REMC). In its second phase, the project envisions a downstream rare earth processing plant that uses a proprietary caustic crack process to generate a mixed rare earth oxide (MREO). The study emphasizes robust project economics with a designed capacity of 6 million tonnes per annum and a 14‐year life of mine, highlighting the project’s ability to produce both conventional heavy minerals and high-demand rare earth elements such as terbium, dysprosium, neodymium, and praseodymium.
Economic indicators from the study are technically compelling, showing a base case scenario with a pre-tax net present value (NPV8) of approximately A$287 million for Phase 1, increasing to A$384 million when both phases are integrated. The internal rate of return (IRR) of 22.8% to 24.0% and a relatively short payback period of around 3.6 to 4 years further reinforce the potential for strong cash flow generation. Detailed financial estimates include a capital expenditure of roughly A$310 million for Phase 1 and an additional A$119 million for Phase 2, with operating costs estimated at around A$15.6 per tonne for Phase 1. Sensitivity analyses illustrate that the project’s success is closely tied to rare earth pricing, payability rates of MREO, and other technical parameters, signaling that favourable market conditions could further enhance returns.
From an investment sentiment perspective, the study provides a bullish signal due to its attractive technical and economic fundamentals. The project’s dual product streams, innovative downstream processing technology, and the potential for further exploration-driven resource growth add to its strategic appeal—especially given the current global emphasis on securing domestic supplies of critical minerals. However, caution is warranted for those concerned with funding uncertainties and inherent risks associated with preliminary assessments, including possible dilution of ownership and the challenges of converting inferred resources to higher-confidence categories. Overall, while the project’s robust cash flow potential and advanced processing strategy are encouraging, prospective investors should consider the uncertainties linked to capital raising and the early stage nature of the economic assessments.