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 sale 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 following the planned expansion.

Latest Developments
Pensana is preparing a $11-million drilling and metallurgical programme aimed at increasing the Joint Ore Reserve Commitee-compliant mineral resource estimate at its Longonjo project to more than one-billion tonnes, potentially placing it among the world’s largest rare earths deposits.

The programme, set to start early in 2026, will include 25 000 m of vertical core drilling to extend the near-surface, NdPr-rich TREO blanket, currently averaging about 30 m in depth, down to more than 100 m. 

Metallurgical sampling and testwork will also support mine planning and processing optimisation.

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); Deugro (international procurement and logistics); Lycopodium Group and SRK Consulting (project delivery partners).

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