Name of the Project
Longonjo neodymium/praseodymium project.
Location
Huambo, Angola – 4 km from a modern rail line leading directly into the Port of Lobito in the Atlantic Ocean.
Project Owner/s
Pensana Rare Earths holds an 84% interest in Longonjo through its 84% holding in Angola-registered company Ozango Minerais, which, in turn, owns 100% of the mining licence.
The Angolan government holds a 10% interest and the company’s Angolan partners the remaining 6%.
Project Description
Longonjo is one of the biggest rare earths deposits in the world, with an initial 20-year mine life.
The project has total proven and probable reserves of 30.1-million tonnes grading 2.55% neodymium/praseodymium oxide for 166 000 t neodymium/praseodymium and total rare-earth oxides (TREOs) of 767 000 t.
The mine execution plan is based on a staged development of the mine and processing facilities.
At full production, once the phased development is complete, the Longonjo mine will target production of up to 38 000 t/y of mixed rare-earth double sulphate or mixed rare-earth carbonate (MREC) containing 14 000 t of TREOs and up to 4 400 t of neodymium/praseodymium oxides. This equates to about 5% of the worldwide production of neodymium/praseodymium oxides a year for downstream processing or to be sold on the international market.
Initial feedstock will be shipped as a clean, high-purity mixed rare earth sulphate to Pensana’s Saltend rare earth oxide separation facility, in the UK.
Potential Job Creation
The mine will employ about 650 people during construction and will create 420 permanent, high-value jobs.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.
Capital Expenditure
£217-million for the fully permitted mine and processing facilities.
Planned Start/End Date
Longonjo is expected to produce 20 000 t of MREC starting in 2026 and 40 000 t of MREC from 2029 onwards following the planned expansion.
Latest Developments
Pensana has reported that containerised 350-person accommodation facilities have arrived in Angola, having been transported from South Africa by sea, rail and road.
The facilities include accommodation, as well as a dining and a communications hub, all of which have been designed to international standards to provide a comfortable and safe working environment for employees and contractors.
Further, multiple logistics routes for transporting containers to site have been successfully confirmed ahead of transporting the modular processing plant.
Progress continues on site with the establishment of the contractor’s 4.3 ha lay-down area, located to the south of the main construction area.
The team has also continued further enhancements to the site road network and service utilities. The primary access road has been complemented with the installation of concrete stormwater drains essential to ensure continued operation during the rainy season
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
ADP (main contractor); MCC (main construction); NCP International (equipment); Bushtec (accommodation facilities) and Grupo Nov (contractor).
Contact Details for Project Information
Pensana Rare Earths, email admin@pensana.co.uk orir@pensana.co.uk.