BCI Minerals Limited has awarded a contract to Bluestar Lehigh Engineering Institute Co, Ltd to design, procure, supply, assemble, deliver, and install a 150 kg/hr containerised sulphate of potash pilot plant at the Mardie Salt Operation and Potash Project in Western Australia.

Bluestar Lehigh previously acted as principal designer for the world's largest brine sulphate of potash plant. Engineering consultancy eXcellerate will provide independent oversight across design, risk, procurement, and commissioning.

The pilot plant expenditure will be funded from BCI's existing debt facilities as part of the approved Mardie capital budget of A$1.443 billion, building upon cumulative project expenditures of $1,479 million reported as of June 2026. BCI Minerals is developing Mardie as a staged dual-product operation targeting both industrial salt and sulphate of potash production.

Sulphate of potash is a premium chloride-free fertiliser used on high-value crops. The pilot plant will enable continuous, end-to-end testing of representative feedstock under site operating conditions, testing key flowsheet options and design parameters before any full-scale solution is considered.

“The SOP pilot plant is an important next step in BCI's disciplined approach to maximising the value of the Mardie resource. It will allow us to assess the value-adding of bitterns into SOP, with the potential for Mardie to become Australia's only operation producing both salt and SOP on one site.”

— David Boshoff, Managing Director

Representative KTMS feedstock is currently being generated at Mardie using trial crystallisers, with the company on track to produce approximately 1,000 tonnes in Q2 FY2027. This follows the June 2026 quarterly activities report, which recorded salt crystalliser commissioning and 49 kilotonnes of crystallised salt production. Commissioning of the pilot plant is targeted for the start of Q2 FY2028, with piloting expected to run for approximately 12 months. BCI also targets first salt on ship at Mardie in the December 2026 quarter.

“Piloting is the disciplined way to approach SOP. It gives us realistic, continuous end-to-end data on feed material in our own operating environment, which is exactly what we need to finalise a robust flowsheet and reduce technical and process uncertainty before any future full-scale investment decision.”

— David Boshoff, Managing Director

Any decision to proceed to a full-scale facility remains subject to successful piloting, feasibility work, and a separate final investment decision.

Read the full announcement: BCI to Construct Sulphate of Potash Pilot Plant