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MODERN MINING
May 2017
RARE EARTHS
G
akara is unusual on several
counts. It ranks as one of the
highest grade rare earth deposits
in the world, the capex to get it
up and running is incredibly low
(at just US$2,23 million) and, once in produc-
tion, it will be the only formal sector mine in
Burundi (although the country does have some
small scale gold, tungsten and coltan artisanal
operations). Moreover, it will rank as one of
the few producers of rare earths outside of
China, which currently accounts for an esti-
mated 90 % of world production.
According to Eales, the low capex reflects
the phenomenally high grade of Gakara. “The
estimated in-situ grade is in the range of 47 to
67 % total rare earth oxides (TREOs), with the
average over the entire deposit being 57 %,” he
says. “To put this in perspective, most other
deposits around the world are in the region of
3 to 5 %. This means that for a specific level
Gakara rare earth project
Work underway at the initial
mining area at Gasagwe
allowing stockpiling of ore
prior to process plant com-
missioning later this year.
Martin Eales, CEO of Rainbow Rare Earths.
Rainbow Rare Earths, now listed on the LSE after a
US$8 million fund-raising and successful IPO in January this
year, is moving swiftly to bring its Gakara rare earth project
in Burundi into production. Extraction of run-of-mine ore
has started on site and an EPCM contract has been signed
for the processing plant. The ore will be stockpiled until
the plant becomes operational later this year.
Modern
Mining’s
Arthur Tassell recently spoke to Rainbow’s CEO,
Martin Eales, to learn more about the project.