Founded in 2001, Centrex Metals was listed on the
Australian Securities Exchange in 2006 with the aim of developing several iron ore projects on the
Eyre Peninsula,
South Australia. It also had interests in
Western Australia and
Queensland. Subsequently, the company sold off its South Australian assets, dissolved its joint ventures, and repositioned itself to be an organic fertiliser producer. The proposed site of
Port Spencer, the company's original intended export point for Eyre Peninsula iron ore, was sold to prospective grain exporters, Free Eyre in 2019. The sale included the port's development plans and approvals which have since been amended and optimised for grain handling by Peninsula Ports. Centrex Metals acquired the Oxley potassium project, south-east of the port of
Geraldton,
Western Australia in 2015, and the Ardmore
phosphate rock project, south of
Mount Isa,
Queensland, in 2017. The Ardmore project is the company's principal operation. It is based on a shallow, high-grade
phosphate deposit. As of 2021, the company had begun small-scale production, planning to ramp up significantly by the end of 2024. The project at Oxley is based on a globally rare
ultrapotassic lava flow, dominantly composed of
potassium feldspar. As of 2021, the company was seeking a partner to advance it to the next stage. ==References==