Iluka Resources

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Australian mining company

title: "Iluka Resources" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mining-companies-of-australia", "titanium-mining", "mining-in-south-australia", "companies-based-in-perth,-western-australia", "non-renewable-resource-companies-established-in-1998", "australian-companies-established-in-1998", "companies-listed-on-the-australian-securities-exchange"] description: "Australian mining company" topic_path: "geography/australia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iluka_Resources" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Australian mining company ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

FieldValue
nameIluka Resources Limited
logoIluka Resources logo.jpg
typePublic company
traded_as
foundation1998
location240 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia
key_peopleJames Mactier (Chairman)
Tom O'Leary (CEO)
industryMining
productsIlmenite, Zircon, Rutile, Synthetic Rutile
revenue$1.1 billion
revenue_year2024
operating_income$477 million
income_year2024
num_employees1,075
num_employees_year2023
websitewww.iluka.com
::

|name = Iluka Resources Limited |logo = Iluka Resources logo.jpg |type = Public company |traded_as = |foundation = 1998 |location = 240 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia |key_people = James Mactier (Chairman) Tom O'Leary (CEO) |industry = Mining |products = Ilmenite, Zircon, Rutile, Synthetic Rutile |revenue = $1.1 billion |revenue_year = 2024 |operating_income = $477 million |income_year = 2024 |net_income = |net_income_year = |num_employees = 1,075 |num_employees_year = 2023 |website = www.iluka.com}}

Iluka Resources is an Australian resources company, specialising in mineral sands exploration, project development, operations and marketing. It was formed in July 1998 in a merger between Westralian Sands and the titanium mineral business RGC Ltd, becoming Iluka Resources Ltd in 1999. Iluka is a major producer of zircon and titanium dioxidederived rutile and synthetic rutile globally. The company has operations in Australia, and has also conducted business in the United States and the West African country of Sierra Leone in the past.

History

Iluka Resources was formed in July 1998 in a merger between Westralian Sands and the titanium mineral business RGC Ltd (Renison Goldfields Consolidated Limited), with the new name effective in 1999. Westralian Sands was established in 1954 but commenced operations in 1959 when it started mining and processing the Yoganup deposit near Capel in Western Australia. It was first registered as Westralian Sands Limited on the ASX in 1968.

In 1999, the company sold off or closed many parts of its business, including Westlime Limited, Koba Tin, RGC Thalanga Copper, RGC South Capel operation, and its share of the Narama Coal mine in New South Wales.

In September 2008 the company signed a contract with rail freight operator El Zorro to carry containerised mineral sands from Portland in the south-west of Victoria to Melbourne, with Iluka saying rail transport was cheaper than road.

In 2006, it closed its operations in Florida and Georgia retaining a presence in the United States in Michigan.

In March 2009, Iluka announced that it would bring forward the closure of one of the synthetic rutile kilns at the Narngulu operations and that 23 jobs would be lost. The move came in response to falling demand as a result of the 2008 financial crisis.

In 2014 Iluka established an initial 18.3 per cent interest in the UK technology company, Metalysis, which was seeking to commercialise technology to convert metals into powder, including titanium powder. Iluka increased its interest to approximately 28 percent in 2016. Iluka also commenced work in 2014 with Vale in relation to the potential commercialisation of a large titanium ore body, with rare-earth elements, in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

In August 2016, Iluka announced its intention to acquire Sierra Leonebased and London Stock Exchangelisted miner Sierra Rutile Limited. The sale was finalised in December 2016 for $393 million. As part of the acquisition, Iluka intended to invest AU$290 million to expand production, improve operation and safety facilities and streamline operations. The Sierra Rutile mine has an extensive, long-life rutile deposit which complemented existing assets in titanium oxide. In April 2022, the Sierra Leone business was spun off.

Operations

As of 2016 Iluka was the largest producer of zircon and titanium dioxidederived rutile and synthetic rutile globally. The company mines heavy mineral sands and separates the concentrate into its individual mineral constituents rutile, ilmenite, and zircon. Some of the ilmenite is then processed into synthetic rutile.

It has had operations in the Australian states of Western Australia (Eucla and Perth Basins); South Australia (Jacinth-Ambrosia Mine); Victoria; and New South Wales (Murray Basin). As of 2014, Iluka was conducting international exploration, including for selected non-mineral sands opportunities, mainly on its Australian tenements.

Iluka has been extracting [zircon (used in ceramics) and titanium dioxide (used in paint pigment, plastics, and paper), by processing mineral sands at Eneabba, Western Australia since the early 1990s.

Rare-earths at Eneabba

Iluka's operations at Eneabba since the early 1990s have been producing monazite and xenotime, which are rare-earth-bearing minerals, as by-products of processing the mineral sands. have been stockpiled them in a disused mining hole near its Narngulu Mineral Separation Plant at Eneabba. Iluka commissioned a processing plant (concentrator), completed in 2022, that separates the monazite (and additional zircon), producing a 90% monazite concentrate that will be input to a new fully-integrated rare earths refinery at Eneabba. The development is supported by an Australian Government loan of AU$1.25 billion under its Critical Minerals Strategy. From 2027, neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium, and other rare-earth elements will be produced at the facility. With the demand for rare earths growing by 50–170% between 2025 and 2030, and most of the rare-earths being produced by China in recent years, the plant is aiming to supply a significant proportion of Western demand for rare-earths. Iluka has to work within the Australian legislative framework to avert polluting the environment, as processing rare-earths involves extraction, leaching, thermal cracking, and refining, which produce radioactive components.

References

References

  1. (12 September 2025). "Renison Goldfields Consolidated Limited (ASX.RGC)".
  2. "Company History".
  3. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120501000000*/http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/87231/fromItemId/621419 ACCC not to oppose RGC / Westralian Sands merger] [[Australian Competition & Consumer Commission]], 8 September 1998
  4. (2008). "Acted Consultants – Rutile and ilmenite – Australian production".
  5. (17 September 2022). "Westralian Sands Limited (ASX.WSL)".
  6. (2007). "Iluka Resources Limited – Our Business".
  7. (3 September 2008). "Rail freight back on Portland-Maroona line". [[ABC News (Australia).
  8. [https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20051208/pdf/3tnfvhnjxlytp.pdf Iluka Announces Staged Closure of Florida / Georgia Operations]. Iluka, 8 December 2005
  9. (2009). "Iluka hit by kiln closure, lower production".
  10. (2014). "Iluka-backed UK tech company poised for IPO".
  11. Yeomans, Jon. (9 August 2016). "Mineral sands producer Sierra Rutile confirms £215m sale to Iluka". The Daily Telegraph.
  12. "Merger with Iluka Resources". [[Sierra Rutile Limited]].
  13. (8 December 2016). "SIERRA RUTILE JOINS WITH ILUKA TO ENTER NEXT PHASE OF GROWTH".
  14. "Iluka to spend up to 290m in Sierra Leone". The Daily Telegraph.
  15. [https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/iluka-spins-off-africa-as-it-chases-rare-earths-20220413-p5ad7w.html Iluka spins off African mine as it chases rare earths] ''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'' 13 April 2022
  16. Yeomans, Jon. (9 August 2016). "Mineral sands producer Sierra Rutile confirms £215m sale to Iluka". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
  17. Tewari, Suranjana. (12 August 2025). "Rare earths: Australia bid to take on China dominance".
  18. "Resource Development".
  19. (6 December 2024). "Community Engagement".

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mining-companies-of-australiatitanium-miningmining-in-south-australiacompanies-based-in-perth,-western-australianon-renewable-resource-companies-established-in-1998australian-companies-established-in-1998companies-listed-on-the-australian-securities-exchange