A worker at Base Titanium’s Kwale mineral sands project. Sales of ores
by the end of 2017 to ThyssenKrupp Metallurgical Products of Germany
will mean Burundi becomes a producer of REEs ahead of Kenya and Tanzania
PHOTO FILE | NATION
Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd plans to build a mineral processing
plant in Kabezi district, 10 km south of Bujumbura, the capital city of
Burundi.
The $1.5 million rare earth element (REE)
plant will be about 20 km from Gakara mine, which was set up by the
London Stock Exchange-listed firm that raised $8 million by listing 65
million shares in order to fast-track production in fourth quarter of
2017.
Rainbow said the processing site has an asphalt
road that will ease collection of the rare earth concentrate by
container trucks for export either through the Mombasa or Dar es Salaam
ports.
Sales of ores by the end of 2017 to ThyssenKrupp
Metallurgical Products of Germany will mean Burundi becomes a producer
of REEs ahead of Kenya and Tanzania which have also discovered these
much sought after minerals.
Demand
for rare earth elements in the global market is increasing due to
rising usage of powerful magnets used for electric vehicles, motors and
wind turbines.
Highest concentration
The Ngualla rare earth deposit licensed to Peak Resources Ltd near Mbeya, Tanzania, has a capital expenditure of about $206 million.
The Ngualla rare earth deposit licensed to Peak Resources Ltd near Mbeya, Tanzania, has a capital expenditure of about $206 million.
Pacific
Wildcat Resources Corporation in 2013 announced discovery of rare earth
deposits valued at $62.4 billion in Kenya’s Coastal Kwale County.
Rainbow’s
chief executive officer Martin Eales said they have completed
re-routing an existing lane from the rare earth elements plant
processing site in Kabezi to allow the local people to get access to the
Lake Tanganyika shore and fishing vessels.
Mr Eales
said the Gakara rare earth element project is Burundi’s most advanced
mining development facility and activity at Gasagwe is progressing in
readiness for commissioning of the processing plant.
He said Gakara has 47 to 67 per cent rare earth oxide, one of the highest concentrations globally.
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