Keypoints:
- Up to C$11m ($7.8m) approved for study work
- SGS will test separate rare earth carbonates
- Commercial processing remains subject to feasibility
NAMIBIA’S Lofdal heavy rare earths project has received approval for up to approximately C$11m (about $7.8m) in additional funding for its definitive feasibility study, moving the development into a major phase of metallurgical testing and process design.
The work will examine whether Lofdal can produce separate light and heavy rare earth carbonate products inside Namibia rather than exporting conventional mineral concentrate for further processing abroad. That could support greater domestic value addition, although the proposed route must still be validated before any construction or production decision.
A step beyond concentrate exports
Namibia Critical Metals said the project’s joint management committee approved the next phase of the definitive feasibility study and awarded the first major metallurgical and geometallurgical contracts to SGS Canada.
The programme will test the complete processing flowsheet, from run-of-mine ore to separate light rare earth carbonate and heavy rare earth carbonate products through integrated hydrometallurgical processing.
The company said the approach could provide a technical foundation for evaluating further downstream processing in Namibia. Such benefits remain projections and will depend on the study results, financing and any subsequent investment decision.
The plan fits Namibia’s broader effort to retain more value from its mineral resources. Africa Briefing has reported that the country’s battery-metals manufacturing ambitions face infrastructure constraints, including the need for reliable power, water and transport.
Pilot plants to test processing route
About 30 tonnes of representative ore will undergo continuous pilot-scale flotation testing. The resulting concentrate will feed a hydrometallurgical pilot plant covering acid baking, leaching, impurity removal, solvent extraction and precipitation.
A separate geometallurgical programme will examine 98 representative samples from across the deposit. The work is intended to improve processing models, support mine planning and identify opportunities to reduce reagent consumption and operating costs.
The programme will also generate design criteria for a possible commercial-scale plant and support amendments to environmental and other permits.
Namibia Critical Metals president and chief executive Darrin Campbell said the expanded study would move Lofdal towards ‘higher-value mixed and separated rare earth products’ while producing engineering data needed for detailed design and project financing.
Japan deepens its supply-chain role
Lofdal is being advanced with the Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security and Toyota Tsusho. Toyota joined the project in March, bringing experience in rare earth refining and supply chains serving Japan’s automotive and advanced manufacturing industries.
Africa Briefing previously covered Toyota Tsusho’s entry into the Lofdal project. The latest announcement is a distinct follow-up because it focuses on how the ore may be processed and what products could eventually be produced in Namibia.
Namibia Critical Metals says Lofdal could diversify supplies of dysprosium, terbium and yttrium for electric vehicles, renewable-energy technologies and advanced electronics.
Commercial case still unproven
The announcement does not constitute a final investment decision or approval to begin construction. The processing route, project economics and financing requirements must still be tested through the definitive feasibility study.
That caution is important because rare earth developments are technically complex and sensitive to recovery rates, reagent costs, commodity prices and access to specialist refining capacity.
Namibia is also attracting investment in supporting industrial inputs. Africa Briefing has reported that new sulphuric acid capacity could strengthen critical-mineral processing, although large-scale beneficiation will require wider infrastructure and skills development.
For Namibia, Lofdal’s next phase will test whether its mineral potential can support more domestic processing, industrial expertise and long-term economic value instead of another export chain built mainly around raw or partially processed resources.
