Modern Mining December 2019

RARE EARTHS

Pace picks up at Longonjo Pensana Metals is making excellent progress on its Longonjo NdPr project in Angola. The results of a positive Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) were announced in November 2019 and the company is now following up with a full Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), scheduled for completion in June 2020. A further drill programme to expand resources is underway and four containers with high- grade weathered mineralisation have been despatched to Australia for pilot plant testwork.

A major plus for the project is that it is located in an area which is well endowed with transport infrastruc- ture. It is just 4 km from a modern rail line leading directly into the Atlantic port of Lobito while a sealed national highway lies 4 km north of the project and links the provincial capital of Huambo and its airport (60 km to the east) to Lobito. The project will exploit what Pensana says is one of the largest high-grade rare earth deposits on earth, with the focus being on the NdPr content of the min- eralisation. The current JORC mineral resource estimate is 226 Mt at 1,47 % Rare Earth Oxide (REO) including 0,33 % NdPr for 3,32 Mt of REO including 735 000 tonnes of NdPr. Pensana’s intention is to initially mine the highest grade portion

of the near surface weathered zone mineralisation. Neodymium and praseodymium, col- lectively known as NdPr, are rare-earth metals which are in high demand as electric vehicles (EVs) become ever more popular and as the world shifts to renew- able energy sources such as wind farms. Powerful NdPr permanent magnets are key components of both EVs and wind turbines. According to Pensana, an EV uses 2 kg of permanent magnets while a 5 MW offshore wind turbine uses around 3 tonnes. The PFS was coordinated by inter- national consulting engineering and project delivery group Wood, which is also undertaking the DFS. The PFS is based on open-pit mining and two-phase

Seen here on site at Longonjo are (from left) Pensana COO Dave Hammond, Geologist Benedito Madeleno and Site Manager Gavin Doyle.

20  MODERN MINING  December 2019