What You Need to Know
Altona Rare Earths has identified significant heavy rare earth enrichment at its Monte Muambe project in Mozambique. This discovery suggests a potential high-value by-product alongside gallium, enhancing the project’s economic viability. The company is conducting studies to assess the recoverability of these elements, aiming to support critical industries such as clean energy and technology.
Africa-Press – Mozambique. Altona identifies heavy rare earth enrichment at Monte Muambe, suggesting a potential high-value by-product alongside gallium in its fluorspar project.
The company has begun mineralogical and metallurgical studies to assess recoverability, seeing the discovery as enhancing project economics and U.S.-oriented strategic positioning.
Altona Rare Earths is a London-listed exploration and development company focused on critical raw materials projects in Africa, with its flagship Monte Muambe project in Mozambique hosting rare earths, fluorspar and gallium alongside the Sesana copper-silver exploration asset in Botswana. The company holds a long-term mining licence at Monte Muambe, aims to fast-track acid-grade fluorspar output and is evaluating gallium recovery to support demand for critical inputs to clean energy, technology and defence industries.
Altona has identified significant enrichment of heavy rare earth elements in fluorspar and gallium ore at its Monte Muambe project, with a heavy-to-total rare earths ratio of about 40%, far above the project’s existing light rare earths deposit. Management sees the potential for a high-value heavy rare earth by-product to sit alongside gallium, and has launched mineralogical, metallurgical and expanded assaying workstreams to assess recoverability without delaying the current fluorspar and gallium resource estimate.
The discovery brings Monte Muambe’s heavy rare earth grades into a range comparable with a leading Namibian project backed by Japanese interests, underlining the strategic importance of the find against a backdrop of Chinese supply dominance. Altona says a successful integration of heavy rare earths into the fluorspar processing flowsheet could materially enhance project economics and strengthen its leverage in ongoing cooperation with U.S. agencies and participants in the North American rare earths supply chain.
The Monte Muambe project is part of Altona Rare Earths’ broader strategy to tap into critical raw materials in Africa. Mozambique, rich in mineral resources, has become a focal point for mining companies seeking to exploit its potential. The discovery of heavy rare earths at Monte Muambe aligns with global trends towards securing alternative sources of these strategic materials, especially in light of the dominance of Chinese supply chains in the rare earth market. As demand for clean energy technologies grows, the importance of such projects increases.
