Overview
Stage | Permitting |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 11 years (as of Jan 1, 2021) |
The Makuutu Rare Earths Project in Uganda is well-supported by existing tier-one infrastructure and is on track to become a long-life, low Capex, scalable and sustainable supplier of high-value magnet and heavy rare earths oxides (REO). In March 2023, was announced a positive stage 1 Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the first of six (6) tenements to progress to a Mining Licence Application (MLA) which is pending in Uganda. The Makuutu Stage 1 DFS defined a 35-year life initial project producing a 71% rich magnet and heavy rare earth carbonate (MREC) product basket and the potential for significant potential and scale up through additional tenements.
Construction progressing at the Makuutu Demonstration Plant with foundations laid, steel columns and structure for Technical Facility erected. |
Latest News | Ionic Rare Earths Raises A$5.5M Through Share Placement April 24, 2024 |
Source:
p. 1
Company | Interest | Ownership |
Rare Earth Elements Africa Proprietary Ltd.
|
37.5 %
|
Indirect
|
Ionic Rare Earths Ltd.
|
60 %
|
Indirect
|
The Makuutu Rare Earth Elements project is owned 100% by Rwenzori Rare Metals Limited (RRM), a Uganda registered private limited company.
On April 13, 2023, Ionic Rare Earths announced that it raised its stake by 60% in the Makuutu Rare Earths Project in Uganda by acquiring controlling ownership of Ugandan subsidiary Rwenzori Rare Metals Limited (RRM) which owns 100% of the Makuutu Rare Earths Project, following DFS and Ugandan Government approval.
The remaining stake is held by the South African registered Rare Earth Elements Africa Proprietary Limited (REEA) and by Ugandan Partners.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Laterite
- Sedimentary
- Saprolite
Summary:
Makuutu is an ionic adsorption clay (IAC) deposit. IAC deposits contain rare earth elements (REE) ionically bonded to the clay rather than existing as primary minerals in the ore. IAC REE mineralisation can be summarised as REEs that are mainly adsorbed onto the surfaces of clay minerals in the form of hydrated ions or hydroxylhydrated ions. These REE deposits are hosted within the regolith (laterite profile).
At Makuutu, the mineralisation is contained within the tropical lateritic weathering profile of a basin filled with sedimentary rocks including shales, mudstones and sandstones potentially derived from the surrounding granitic and mafic rocks. These rocks are considered the original source of the REE which were then accumulated in the sediments of the basin as the surrounding rocks have degraded. These sediments then form the protolith that was subjected to prolonged tropical weathering.
The weathering developed a lateritic regolith with a surface indurated hardcap, followed downward by clay rich zones that grade down through saprolite and saprock to unweathered sediments. The thickness of the regolith is between 10 and 20 metres from surface.
The REE mineralisation is concentrated in the weathered profile where it has dissolved from its primary mineral form, such as monazite and xenotime, then ionically bonded (adsorbed) or colloidally bonded on to fine particles of aluminosilicate clays (e.g., kaolinite, illite, smectite). The adsorbed ........
Summary:
The Study has identified that the most suitable and economical mining methods at Makuutu comprise low unit cost, open pit extraction methods.
The assumed mining method would be ‘free dig’ using truck and shovel using a selective mining approach to target higher grade ore feed in the early years of mine life.
Wall angles have been assumed at 45 degrees in the absence of further geotechnical information, however mining is generally shallow with no permanent high walls.
Mining will involve a pre-strip of 1m of topsoil which will be stockpiled adjacent to the pit. ROM mining will be selective with lower recovered rare earth grade open pit material stockpiled adjacent to the pit, whilst waste will be mined and paddock dumped adjacent to the pit. Open pit material will be hauled to the Run-of-Mine (ROM) pad and either stockpiled or direct fed into the process plant. Once areas (slots) are completely mined out, the mined waste and heap leach residue will be reclaimed and the slot will be backfilled (progressive rehabilitation), prior to the topsoil spread back on the area disturbed.
Approximately 84.5Mt of Mineral Resource in the mining plan will be mined at an average grade of 810 ppm TREO and delivering a mine life of 11 years. Mine scheduling demonstrates that minimal mining capital will be required ahead of the development of the open pit. Mineral resource extraction and project economics are optimal with a single open pit.
Source:
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Projected Production:
The Base Case assumes the first module will process 2.5Mtpa ROM and produce approximately 800 tpa rare earth oxide (REO) equivalent product. Additionally, the Base Case then assumes given the lowcost capital modular development approach, additional modules will be added in years 2, 4, 6 and 9 to increase the plant throughput up to 12.5Mtpa by year 10.
Commodity | Product | Units | Avg. Annual | LOM |
Scandium
|
Oxide
|
t
| 70 | 740 |
REE
|
Carbonate
|
t
| ...... | ...... |
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | |
Annual processing capacity
| ...... |
Stripping / waste ratio
| ...... |
Waste tonnes, LOM
| ...... |
Ore tonnes mined, LOM
| ...... |
Total tonnes mined, LOM
| ...... |
Tonnes processed, LOM
| ...... |
* According to 2021 study.
Reserves at March 3, 2021:
Above 200 ppm TREO minus CeO2 cut-off.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
Indicated
|
66 Mt
|
Total Rare Earth Oxides
|
820 ppm
|
Indicated
|
66 Mt
|
Sc2O3
|
30 ppm
|
Indicated
|
66 Mt
|
U3O8
|
20 ppm
|
Inferred
|
248 Mt
|
Total Rare Earth Oxides
|
610 ppm
|
Inferred
|
248 Mt
|
Sc2O3
|
30 ppm
|
Inferred
|
248 Mt
|
U3O8
|
10 ppm
|
Total Resource
|
315 Mt
|
Total Rare Earth Oxides
|
650 ppm
|
Total Resource
|
315 Mt
|
Sc2O3
|
30 ppm
|
Total Resource
|
315 Mt
|
U3O8
|
10 ppm
|
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