Name of the Project
Phalaborwa rare earths project.

Location
Limpopo, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
London-listed Rainbow Rare Earths announced the signing of a binding agreement with Bosveld Phosphates for the co-development of the Phalaborwa rare earths project in November 2020.

On completion of a prefeasibility study (PFS), 70% of the project will be held by Rainbow and 30% by Bosveld, with a mechanism included to allow for Rainbow’s joint venture ownership to vary from 60% to 85%, depending on the results of the PFS.

Project Description
Rainbow Rare Earths and Bosveld Phosphates intend to jointly develop and process rare-earth elements from the gypsum contained in two stacks at the project site.

The project comprises an estimated 35-million tonnes of gypsum, resulting from historical phosphate hard-rock mining and containing rare-earth elements, with an estimated average in situ grade of 0.6% total rare-earth oxides (TREOs) for about 210 000 t of TREOs, with neodymium and praseodymium expected to constitute about 30% of the TREOs basket.

The reprocessing of these gypsum stacks carries significant environmental benefits, as it will redeposit clean, benign gypsum, which then has the potential for further use in the building and fertiliser industries.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Not stated.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Rainbow Rare Earths has assured its shareholders that its Phalaborwa project has not been impacted on by the civil unrest in South Africa.

The company confirmed in a statement on July 16 that its work continues unabated, which entails an optimised process flow sheet based on ongoing metallurgical testwork being conducted in Australia.

The company will update shareholders on the optimisation results confirming the successful extraction of these rare earths from the 38-million tonnes of gypsum contained in the two residue stacks at Phalaborwa once available.

Rainbow’s announcement refers to civil unrest in South Africa since the incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma. What started as protests escalated to become mass lootings and outbreaks of violence recently.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
ANSTO Minerals (flowsheet process optimisation).

Contact Details for Project Information
Rainbow Rare Earths CEO George Bennett, cell +27 82 652 8526.