Country Manager Geraldine Tchimbali hosts UK Ambassador Bharat Joshi on site visit following funding announcement.
Statement issued by Pensana - Bharat Joshi, UK Ambassador to Angola, commented: "Longonjo might seem like a small village in the heart of Angola, but for the United Kingdom and the rest of the world, it is a capital. The Pensana project is of global strategic importance for the critical minerals it contains. This project, starting in May, will benefit the local population with over 400 jobs but also create many more opportunities both in the implementation and production phases.”
Following the approval of the US$268 million financing, the newly appointed Ambassador visited the Longonjo site, accompanied by Country Manager Geraldine Tchimbali, the local Huambo administration, community leaders and associated press.
The Ambassador was keen to see the site activity preparations ahead of the main construction. Finalising the financing was a critical step in Pensana’s journey to establishing new sources of critical materials and cementing Africa’s place as the cornerstone of the global clean energy revolution.
Geraldine was eager to show the progress on the completed accommodation facilities, which include a full suite of services, along with the upgraded road network and construction laydown area. She also highlighted the ongoing stakeholder engagement, with regular meetings between Pensana and local, provincial, and national authorities.
Geraldine Tchimbali, Country Manager, commented: “The project team here on site is extremely excited to get started following the announcement of funding. The team has worked extremely hard in the preparations ahead of the main construction, and we look forward to accelerating the development now that finance is in place.”
The Longonjo project will produce an average of around 20,000 tonnes per annum of clean, high-value MREC and will have a major positive impact on the community, creating over 400 high-value processing jobs. Many of the jobs created are focused on early careers, with comprehensive training and development opportunities, along with supporting local businesses, service providers and farmers.
Once in full second phase production, the project will create an estimated 3,500 direct and indirect jobs and will produce around 5% of the world’s magnet metal rare earths used for diverse applications, including wind turbines and electric vehicles.
Pensana has spent over US$70 million over the past six years on exploration and technical and environmental studies on the Longonjo rare earth project in the Huambo district of Angola, approximately 350 kilometres southeast of the capital, Luanda.
The company has successfully delineated a near-surface JORC-compliant reserve of 30 million tonnes grading 2.55% TREO, containing 166,000 tonnes of NdPrO, making it one of the world’s largest undeveloped magnet metal rare earth deposits with a mine life of over 20 years.
