Lindian Resources looks to be charging towards the finish line at its world-class Kangankunde rare earths project in Malawi, with the company on schedule to hit first production in the final quarter of this year.
In a comprehensive construction update, the company confirmed plant commissioning is targeted for October, followed by practical completion in mid-November. With more than 615,000 safe work hours already in the bag, the project is entering a high-intensity phase of development.
Kangankunde is now fully funded through to first production after a recent A$100 million institutional placement, alongside a strategic partnership with Iluka Resources that includes a 15-year offtake deal for 6000 tonnes per annum of monazite concentrate destined for Iluka’s Eneabba refinery.
The company’s robust balance sheet is now being put to work, constructing one of the most significant rare earths deposits globally, boasting a massive resource of 261 million tonnes grading 2.19 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO).
Notably, the deposit also includes a high-grade core of 26 million tonnes at 3.7 per cent TREO, set to provide the initial feed for the stage one process plant, which is designed to clock 20,000 tonnes per annum of concentrate.
To get ahead of the curve, Lindian says it has already started mining activities ahead of plant completion. With the first blast scheduled for late June, the company plans to deliver first ore to the run-of-mine pad immediately after, establishing critical stockpiles six months ahead of schedule.
Lindian Resources executive director Zac Komur said: "Kangankunde continues to demonstrate strong execution momentum, with construction progressing across all major work fronts and the Project remaining on schedule for first production in 2026.”
Additionally, construction of the haul road from the pit to the processing plant is also well advanced, supported by a newly delivered earthworks fleet and nine kilometres of perimeter fencing. Key regulatory milestones have also been inked, with water, borehole and waste management approvals all secured.
On the processing front, the company says its civil works are moving rapidly. Concrete pours for the shaking table bases are complete, end-product shed construction is progressing and excavation for the SAG mill is underway.
The electrical program is also gathering pace, with the crucial 23-kilometre, 33-kilovolt powerline on track for a September commissioning. Nearby, the tailings storage facility is 98 per cent cleared.
Other key infrastructure is also popping up across the site, with the Tipume accommodation camp, housing 90 units, already functional alongside a staffed medical clinic.
Work on the mobile workshop is advancing, while the explosives magazine terrace is 80 per cent finished. Apex Construction has been tapped to deliver the process offices and stores and Petroda is set to kick off fuel farm construction next week.
In a major nod to Lindian’s growing professionalism and to ensure the transition to production is seamless, the company is implementing the much-vaunted Pronto enterprise resource planning system to manage its day-to-day business operations on a single integrated platform.
Adding to the company’s growing momentum in Malawi, Lindian recently secured a low-cost supply of sulphuric acid in Kazakhstan, bullet-proofing its downstream processing and insulating itself from global price shocks. Recent testing also confirmed that Kangankunde monazite "cracks" cleanly, achieving a 97 per cent recovery rate for neodymium-praseodymium.
According to management, the company’s next steps will focus on full mobilisation of the mining fleet, the completion of the fuel farm in July and the northern perimeter fencing ahead of the June blast. Simultaneously, work is continuing on a stage-two definitive feasibility study to evaluate a significant production expansion.
Lindian looks to be making all the right moves as it transitions from developer to producer. With the cash in the bank and the drill bits put away in favour of blasting caps, the next few months should provide plenty of fireworks.
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By Murray Ward
