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
Rare earths developer 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
Pensana has successfully delineated a near surface Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant reserve of 22-million tonnes grading 3.04% total rare-earth oxides (TREOs) containing 139 457 t of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxides, making it one of the world’s largest and highest-grade, undeveloped magnet metal rare earth deposits, with a mine life exceeding 20 years.
The mine execution plan is based on a staged development of the mine and processing facilities.

Initial production will be 20 000 t/y of a highly marketable clean mixed rare-earth carbonate (MREC). A proposed second phase expansion will result in production increasing to 40 000 t/y of MREC containing 14 000 t of TREOs, and up to 4 400 t of NdPr 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 project is expected to create 600 high-value jobs, of which more than 50% are expected to be allocated to young people.

Once in full production, the project will create an estimated 2 400 direct and indirect jobs.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Capital cost is estimated at $217-million, including contingencies, which Pensana claims is among the lowest for rare earth developments of this scale.

Planned Start/End Date
Main construction started in May 2025. 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 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japanese multinational Toyota subsidiary Toyota Tsusho for the proposed offtake of up to 20 000 t/y of MREC.

The offtake will span a five-year period, with pricing still to be agreed.

Toyota Tsusho intends to collaborate with Pensana to develop a new, independent and sustainable supply chain for rare-earth materials using the Indian processing facility operated by its wholly owned subsidiary Toyotsu Rare Earth India.

Toyota Tsusho is also exploring deeper cooperation with Pensana as they jointly assess additional opportunities across the rare earth value chain.

Toyota Tsusho has been processing rare-earth materials at its Indian facility since 2013 and continues to expand operations to meet growing demand from Japanese magnet manufacturers.

Toyota Tsusho metal resources GM Tsutomu Aoki has said the MoU represents a significant step in the development of a global rare earth supply chain – to not only support Toyota Tsusho’s direct customer base but also strengthen and diversify the broader rare earth value chain.

In turn, Pensana chairperson Paul Atherley has said that the partnership marks the next strategic step in establishing Longonjo as the most important rare earth development in more than a decade.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
ADP (main contractor); MCC (main construction); NCP International (equipment); Bushtec (accommodation facilities); ProProcess Engineering (modular process units); Grupo Nov (contractor); and Deugro (international procurement and logistics).

Contact Details for Project Information
Pensana Rare Earths, email admin@pensana.co.uk or ir@pensana.co.uk.