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), including light rare-earth elements and heavy rare-earth elements. 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 NdPr 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.

The workforce is expected to increase towards a peak of about 750 personnel in 2026.

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 be commissioned in 2027, producing 20 000 t/y of mixed MREC, with a planned expansion to 40 000 t/y once initial operations have been established.

Latest Developments
Pensana has reported that the project remains on schedule, with main construction progressing and commissioning targeted for 2027.

The company expects initial output of 2 400 t/y of NdPr and 73 t of dysprosium/terbium (DyTb – heavy magnet metals) in the form of MREC, with plans to increase to 4 200 t NdPr and 122 t DyTb after 2030.

Key preconstruction facilities are installed and operating, including camp accommodation, site power, as well as water and wastewater treatment. The process plant terrace and contractor laydown areas have been completed and preparation for piling is advanced. Bulk earthworks and starter walls for the tailings storage facility (TSF) are under way, and aggregate and concrete batching plants are being commissioned ahead of the first major concrete pours scheduled for March 2026.

TSF works are described as a critical-path activity, with excavation advancing on the initial compartment and on-site materials confirmed as suitable for starter-wall construction, which the company has said provides cost and schedule benefits. A piling programme of about 2 250 piles is scheduled to run until September 2026, with early priority given to foundations for the ball mill, which is refurbished and awaiting transport to site.

Off-site engineering and vendor packages (including comminution, scrubber, flash dryer/acid mixer, filtration, acid plant and other equipment) are reported to be progressing on schedule under the oversight of the owner’s team, alongside community and resettlement-related programmes. 

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); and ABG Sundal Collier (Pensana’s financial adviser).

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