Latest news with #MiningandMineralsRegulatoryAuthority

Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Lindian triples rare earths mining area at huge Malawi project
Lindian Resources can now significantly increase its rare earths mining area by almost three-fold at its Kangankunde project in Malawi after receiving departmental approval for its stage two modular expansion plan. In a further positive step forward in the company's plans to supercharge its stage-two expansion of the world-class rare earths project, Malawi's Mining and Minerals Regulatory Authority approved Lindian's application to expand its mining licence area to 2500 hectares (ha), up from 900ha. The achievement comes hot on the heels of Lindian's recent deal for a massive offtake agreement and potential cornerstone funding with critical mineral powerhouse and ASX-listed Iluka Resources, which has a current market value of more than $2.5 billion. Lindian management says the expanded mining footprint will bolster a targeted stage one production output of 15,300 dry metric tonnes per annum (tpa) of monazite concentrate up to a possible 75,000tpa to 100,000tpa. It cautions the potentially massive jump in output is not a forecast or production target, but is based on the huge increase in mineable land it can sink its mining teeth into. 'This will also allow Lindian to capitalise on our ability to be the next rare earth producer to market.' Lindian Resources executive chairman Robert Martin The globally significant Kangankunde rare earths project has a JORC-compliant 261-million-tonne mineral resource and an initial life-of-mine of 45 years. Expansion of the mining licence area provides Lindian with the regulatory backing to explore the options to substantially boost its production capacity by scaling up operations and developing critical project infrastructure. The company plans to target its stage two modular expansion in parallel with the project's stage one processing plant development.

The Age
5 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Lindian triples rare earths mining area at huge Malawi project
Lindian Resources can now significantly increase its rare earths mining area by almost three-fold at its Kangankunde project in Malawi after receiving departmental approval for its stage two modular expansion plan. In a further positive step forward in the company's plans to supercharge its stage-two expansion of the world-class rare earths project, Malawi's Mining and Minerals Regulatory Authority approved Lindian's application to expand its mining licence area to 2500 hectares (ha), up from 900ha. The achievement comes hot on the heels of Lindian's recent deal for a massive offtake agreement and potential cornerstone funding with critical mineral powerhouse and ASX-listed Iluka Resources, which has a current market value of more than $2.5 billion. Lindian management says the expanded mining footprint will bolster a targeted stage one production output of 15,300 dry metric tonnes per annum (tpa) of monazite concentrate up to a possible 75,000tpa to 100,000tpa. It cautions the potentially massive jump in output is not a forecast or production target, but is based on the huge increase in mineable land it can sink its mining teeth into. 'This will also allow Lindian to capitalise on our ability to be the next rare earth producer to market.' Lindian Resources executive chairman Robert Martin The globally significant Kangankunde rare earths project has a JORC-compliant 261-million-tonne mineral resource and an initial life-of-mine of 45 years. Expansion of the mining licence area provides Lindian with the regulatory backing to explore the options to substantially boost its production capacity by scaling up operations and developing critical project infrastructure. The company plans to target its stage two modular expansion in parallel with the project's stage one processing plant development.


West Australian
04-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Kula granted critical minerals niobium project in Malawi
Kula Gold has taken a major step into the booming critical minerals sector after securing its exploration licence for the Wozi niobium project in Malawi, marking a strategic pivot towards a commodity class crucial to green technologies while maintaining a strong gold exploration footing in Western Australia. The company today announced it had received formal approval from Malawi's Mining and Minerals Regulatory Authority for its Wozi niobium project, with historical trenching at the project returning remarkable intercepts, such as 145 metres grading 0.55 per cent niobium pentoxide with associated tantalum and another 192m at 0.49 per cent niobium pentoxide. Kula says the mineralisation starts at surface and coincides with wide zones of niobium and tantalum enrichment over an 800m by 300m soil anomaly, providing large-scale potential for a critical mineral widely used in advanced alloys and electric vehicle components. Managing director Ric Dawson described the grant as a pivotal milestone, highlighting the low-cost, high-impact nature of the opportunity and its strategic fit with global supply chains increasingly hungry for secure niobium supply. The company plans to commence mapping, soil and rock chip sampling before launching a first drill campaign targeting a maiden resource by late this year. Kula notes its Wozi project sits within the geologically fertile Mozambique Orogenic Belt, part of the greater East African Rift Valley System. Despite the project's compelling historical trench results, it has seen no historical drilling, placing Kula in the rare position of having a first mover advantage in a region with excellent road infrastructure for low-cost exploration and development. While niobium steals the spotlight today, Kula's flagship asset remains its Mt Palmer gold project near Southern Cross in WA's Western Goldfields, where successive drilling programs have delivered multiple high-grade hits. Results from recent drilling include standout intercepts such as 20m at 7.5 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 22m, including 6m going an imposing 23.8g/t, and 9m grading 13.6g/t from 33m, including 3m at 38.4g/t. The company says these shallow, high-grade zones point to early potential for low-cost open-pit mining. Additional stage two reverse circulation drilling at Mt Palmer has produced further impressive assays, including 18m at 4.7g/t gold with an individual 2m interval running up to 31.3g/t, effectively an ounce per tonne. These high-grade zones are distributed across multiple new mineralised structures, including the New Lode and Busey Shoot, with ongoing drilling designed to convert these discoveries into a resource estimate. Kula has also been busy advancing its Mustang gold prospect at its Kirup project in WA's South West, where it made the first drill hole into a previously untested soil anomaly supported by the WA Government's Exploration Incentive Scheme. That hole intersected 2m at 2.3g/t gold from 34m, while rock chips along strike have returned up to 4.8g/t, adding weight to the potential of a new gold system. The company plans additional closely spaced magnetics and reverse circulation drilling to build on this emerging discovery. Adding to its impressive WA portfolio, Kula's Boomerang kaolin deposit near Southern Cross hosts a 93.3-million-tonne maiden resource of kaolin clay announced in mid-2022, which is now advancing through economic studies and moving towards potential joint venture or private equity funding. The company's quarterly activities report also highlighted Kula's strengthened balance sheet after raising $1.39 million through an entitlement offer, ensuring it remains well-funded to continue advancing both its WA and Malawi assets. Further, Kula has met its expenditure requirements to earn an 80 per cent interest in Mt Palmer, confirming its control over this high-grade gold belt. As the gold price continues to hover above $5000 an ounce, Kula's dual-pronged strategy of pursuing both traditional precious metal exploration and exposure to critical minerals, such as niobium, puts the company in a rare position to capitalise on both ends of the resource sector spectrum. With aggressive exploration plans across multiple projects in WA and now Malawi, Kula is setting a cracking pace in its quest to unearth the next big discovery - whether it be sparkling gold or metals critical to a low-carbon future. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: