• SARECO has established sulphuric acid supply from SSAP, a state-backed producer in Kazakhstan
• SSAP has strong production capacity of up to 360,000 tonnes per annum
• Sulphuric acid pricing in Kazakhstan is estimated at US$100-130 per tonne, lower than Western markets

Lindian Resources Limited (ASX: LIN) has announced that its SARECO processing facility in Kazakhstan has an existing sulphuric acid supply arrangement with the Stepnogorsk Sulphuric Acid Plant (SSAP), a regional producer located within the same industrial area. SSAP forms part of Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund, and currently produces approximately 180,000 tonnes per annum of sulphuric acid, with an expansion underway to reach 360,000 tonnes per annum. The proximity of SSAP to SARECO may provide logistical advantages and support continuity of reagent supply. Based on recent indicative pricing, sulphuric acid in Kazakhstan is estimated at approximately US$100-130 per tonne, which is lower than typical pricing in Western markets. This may provide Lindian with a potential cost advantage relative to producers reliant on imported sulphuric acid. Independent metallurgical testwork conducted by ANSTO confirms that Lindian's Kangankunde monazite concentrate performs strongly under a conventional sulphuric acid bake and leach flowsheet, achieving up to 94% TREY recovery and 97% NdPr recovery. The testwork also indicates low sulphuric acid consumption in the range of 1.2 to 1.4 tonnes per tonne of concentrate, with optimization work underway to further reduce acid usage while maintaining high recoveries.