Lindian Resources has wrapped up early development works program at its giant Kangankunde rare earths project in Malawi with mining its 23.7Mt at 2.9 per cent total rare earths oxide (TREO) probable ore reserve to commence in January 2026.
The reserve is backed by a 61Mt indicated resource at 2.43 per cent TREO which includes a high-grade core of 25 million tonnes at 3.26 per cent TREO.
The 61Mt indicated resource is a subset of the project’s total mineral resource and represents the higher-confidence portion used for detailed planning and feasibility studies, including the 25Mt high-grade core.
The company’s total indicated and inferred mineral resource for Kangankunde, as defined in the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) is an eye-watering 261Mt at an average grade 2.14 per cent TREO at a 0.5 per cent cutoff.
The figure includes lower-confidence inferred resources which, while currently less certain, point to considerable scope for further expansion and mine life extension.
The early site works were undertaken by Mota-Engil – a Portuguese multinational engineering and construction firm with extensive African expertise – and included the access road, onsite security house and ablution facilities.
A 5.5 kilometre-long access road, security gatehouse, ablution facilities and powered laydown area have been completed, paving the way for the main phase of construction.
Mota-Engil will demobilise its equipment by 20 October and will run through its snag list until early November.
Lindian has placed orders for its owner-operator mining fleet, with a hefty Komatsu and Sandvik mining fleet set to roll onto site in January to kick-start the initial mining assault on the project’s JORC compliant probable ore reserve.
The fleet includes five Komatsu HM400 articulated dump trucks, a D155AX dozer, PC300 and PC600 excavators, WA380 and WA480 loaders, a GD675 grader and service units which are supported by Komatsu’s Blantyre team for maintenance.
A Sandvik Pantera DP1510i T3 top-hammer drill rig completes the lineup, with all gear due onsite by early January.
This heavy-duty mobile complement is testimony to Kangankunde’s potentially vast scale of operations as a world-class, low-cost, premium 55 per cent TREO monazite producer with no deleterious elements.
Outside the contract, Lindian has also finalised the security entrance, cleared administration areas, and powered up the security building, while the contractors’ equipment laydown area now features ablutions, storage, solar power, and septic systems.
Next steps include mobilising contractors for construction of non-process infrastructure, advancing the tailings storage facility (TSF) earthworks, haul roads, and foundational works for administration and workshops.
The power network, camp, fuel and explosives infrastructure are progressing, while process plant design and construct tenders are nearing finalisation and awards, as outlined in the company’s Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and goal of first-production next year
Significantly Lindian’s operations are fully funded via the company’s partnership with Iluka Resources’ and a A$91.5 million placement. It is poised to become a major non-Chinese origin rare earths supplier.
With early works complete and a powerhouse fleet soon to roll in and commission, Lindian’s massive Kangankunde rare earths project is running hard for its 2026 production goal post.
As infrastructure and plant tenders advance, this Tier-1 asset is poised to make touch down within months, ready to deliver its critical rare earths to an increasingly hungry global market.
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By Doug Bright
