An independent transport study has found Alurion Resources’ Amargosa bauxite project can use established road routes for assessed haulage volumes up to 11.5 wet million tonnes a year, twice its Scoping Study base case. The result gives the project’s pre-feasibility study a firmer logistics foundation, although it does not establish a larger production target or guarantee port access.
- Road network assessed as capable of handling up to 11.5 wet Mtpa
- Base case remains haulage via BR-101 to the Port of Enseada
- Potential Enseada expansion could lift export capacity to 13.5 wet Mtpa
- Southern FIOL route offers longer-term scale, but depends on unfinished third-party infrastructure
- Amargosa PFS remains targeted for mid-2027
Independent study supports larger Amargosa haulage scenarios
Alurion Resources (ASX:ALU) has cleared one of the practical hurdles facing its Amargosa bauxite project, with independent consultant Engimind finding no modelled road-capacity constraints across assessed haulage volumes of 5.75, 8.6 and 11.5 wet million tonnes a year. The highest scenario is twice the project’s Scoping Study base case of 5.75 wet Mtpa.
The finding is useful because it turns a broad logistics assumption into a defined route and fleet configuration for the pre-feasibility study. Engimind assessed existing and projected traffic on Bahia’s road network, then modelled Amargosa truck movements, loading-yard operations, turnaround times and terminal capacity. Its preferred configuration is a seven-axle truck with a 59-tonne gross combination weight.
Enseada remains the base-case export route
Alurion’s primary development pathway runs north to the Port of Enseada, largely via the BR-101 federal highway. The route is approximately 160 kilometres from the North District and 220 kilometres from the Central District, with the project expected to require district loading terminals, targeted access-road upgrades and a haulage fleet.
At the Scoping Study base case, Alurion says its trucks would represent less than 1% of total vehicles on the relevant road corridor. That share rises to 1.6% at 11.5 wet Mtpa, according to the study. The result supports the route’s physical feasibility, but the PFS still needs to test the capital and operating cost of terminals, fleet, access works and port handling at higher volumes.
Port expansion could determine whether extra capacity matters
Alurion is working with the Enseada port operator on engineering options that could lift the facility’s export capacity to as much as 13.5 wet Mtpa. The work covers the road interface, stockyard handling, port services and offshore transshipment, and will be assessed alongside the higher haulage scenarios in the PFS.
That distinction matters: the study confirms road-haulage capacity, not a larger mine plan or a production forecast. The existing Scoping Study remains preliminary, carries an intended accuracy of plus or minus 35%, does not establish Ore Reserves and includes 11% Inferred Mineral Resources in its production target. The commercial case for scaling up therefore remains to be tested.
FIOL connection offers upside but remains uncommitted
Engimind also assessed an approximately 86-kilometre southern road connection from the Central District to a proposed FIOL rail load-out. The route could provide access to the proposed FIOL-Porto Sul rail and port corridor and potentially avoid the roughly 40-kilometre dedicated rail spur contemplated in the Scoping Study.
For now, that is an option rather than an asset-backed development pathway. FIOL and Porto Sul are third-party infrastructure projects that are incomplete, and Alurion says it has no rights, access entitlement or capacity allocation in them. The southern route depends on construction restarting, eventual completion and a future commercial agreement. The PFS is targeted for mid-2027, with drilling, trenching and metallurgical work scheduled from the fourth quarter of 2026; those programs, rather than the haulage study alone, will help determine whether the extra logistics capacity can translate into a viable larger operation.
Bottom Line?
The haulage constraint has eased on paper, but the next test is whether port expansion, mine studies and infrastructure costs can support a commercial case beyond the preliminary base case.
Questions in the middle?
- Can the Port of Enseada secure binding access and economically accommodate the higher export volumes under study?
- Will drilling and metallurgical work support the product quality, resource confidence and recoveries needed for a larger operation?
- If FIOL and Porto Sul progress, can Alurion secure access on terms that justify shifting part of its export strategy south?