Virginia/Florida, USA

Iluka's Virginia operations commenced in 1997 with the commissioning of the Old Hickory project, which comprises two mines with separate concentrators (Old Hickory, commissioned in 1997 and Concord, commissioned in 2002) feeding a common dry processing plant located at Stony Creek, 20km from the mine site and 69km south of Richmond.

Heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) is trucked from the mines under contracted haulage 20km to the Stony Creek processing plant.

In December 2007, the Iluka Board approved the development of the Brink deposit (located 48km to the south of Old Hickory). The approved capital expenditure for the Brink project is US$27.5 million. Once developed, the Brink deposit is expected to provide Iluka with access to 1.2 million tonnes of HMC and is expected to extend the economic life of the Virginia operations from 2012 to 2014.

In February 2006 Iluka's mining operation in Florida ceased. The company continued the re-treatment of accumulated dry tailings producing zircon. The re-treatment operations are expected to finish in 2009, after which reclamation and rehabilitation activities will be finalised.