Name of the Project
Syerston scandium project.

Location
Ccentral-west New South Wales, Australia.

Project Owner/s
Sunrise Energy Metals.

Project Description
The Syerston project represents one of the few significant non-Chinese sources of scalable supply in development today.

Sunrise is advancing project development, targeting initial production of 60 t/y of high-purity (more than 99.9%) scandium oxide (Sc₂O₃) from a laterite orebody using conventional openpit mining, and a hydrometallurgical processing and refining route. 

The feasibility study case proposes processing about 64 000 t/y of ore, with an average life-of-mine ore grade of about 656 parts per million scandium and an assumed processing recovery of 88%. 

Mining is forecast to run for about 21 years, followed by processing of stockpiled ore, supporting a total 32-year mine life. 

Sunrise is also considering a downstream metallisation facility to convert Sc₂O₃ to scandium metal for semiconductor applications, which is not included in the feasibility study capital estimate.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
At a Sc₂O₃ price of $3 000/kg, the project reports a net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $890-million and an internal rate of return of 76%. 

Capital Expenditure
Development capital is estimated at $120-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Construction and commissioning are expected to take 24 months. Subject to a final investment decision, site works are expected to start in the second half of 2026, with commissioning in the first half of 2028. Commercial production is targeted for mid-2028.

Latest Developments
Sunrise reported in March 2026 that early works activities had started, including detailed engineering, the construction of water supply infrastructure, in-fill drilling and the procurement of long-lead equipment, to support a mid-2028 production target. 

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
GR Engineering Services (feasibility study); and Mining One (mine design and ore reserve estimate). 

Contact Details for Project Information
Sunrise Energy Metals, tel+61 3 9797 6777 or email info@sunriseem.com.