Lindian secures long-lead gear as Malawian rare earths build gathers pace

Lindian Resources has kicked its Kangankunde rare earths project in Malawi into full execution mode, locking in critical long-lead processing gear as construction crews press ahead across multiple work fronts.

The company says procurement of critical plant items, including the SAG mill, thickener and flocculation plant, shaking tables and belt filters, has materially strengthened timelines as the project moves deeper into the execution phase. The SAG mill, the project’s most critical long-lead item, is scheduled for delivery in about 22 weeks, anchoring the plant construction schedule.

On the ground, momentum is building quickly. More than 550 people are now working across the site, with Lindian clocking up an impressive 200,000 lost-time-injury-free hours. Its Komatsu mining fleet is carving out haul roads, shaping construction platforms and pushing ahead with tailings facility earthworks, with the owner-operated approach giving the company tighter cost control and less reliance on third-party contractors.

Lindian says the non-process infrastructure is also taking shape, with the 90-person Tipume accommodation camp nearing completion and administration buildings, a medical clinic and security facilities to support workforce mobilisation progressing well.

Lindian Resources executive director Zac Komur said: “This project is now firmly in execution mode, enabling earthworks are well advanced, key infrastructure is progressing, and we have placed orders for the critical long-lead plant packages to lock in delivery timing and protect the schedule.”

Key milestones are now locked in, with this month set to mark the start of plant construction and mine stripping, followed by first blast activities in April, grid power energisation in July and first ore feed later in the year.

Kangankunde sits 90 kilometres north of Malawi’s commercial hub, Blantyre and is widely recognised for its scale, high-grade mineralisation and absence of radioactive elements. 

Stage one is shaping up as a serious cash generator, with plans to produce a premium monazite concentrate grading about 55 per cent total rare earth oxides. The company believes the high-grade product mix will help push the operation into the lowest quartile of the global cost curve, giving it a built-in competitive edge.

Notably, the June 2024 feasibility study determined that the project has one of the lowest capital and operating cost structures of rare earths projects globally - a rare double win in a sector not known for cheap builds or easy processing.

A big part of that cost advantage comes from Lindian’s decision to run an owner-operator mining model. By keeping the fleet in-house rather than outsourcing, the company expects to slash mining costs by about 30 per cent, tightening margins and giving management more direct control over productivity.

With higher forecast production volumes and a premium concentrate, the numbers start to look even more compelling. Average annual revenue is now pegged at roughly A$228.9 million, underscoring just how meaningful Kangankunde could become as it moves from construction into steady-state production.

Lindian is currently sitting on a 261 million tonne resource at 2.19 per cent TREO and, with strategic backing from Iluka Resources, has shrewdly managed to pair strong economics with execution certainty. 

The company’s accelerating construction impetus and secured funding are now propelling Kangankunde towards recognition as one of the world’s standout undeveloped rare earths deposits and Lindian appears determined to deliver it with pace and discipline.

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