Makuutu rare earths project, Uganda
Name of the Project
Makuutu rare earths project.
Location
Uganda, 120 km east of Kampala.
Project Owner/s
Ionic Rare Earths (IonicRE).
Project Description
A base case scoping study has demonstrated the potential for Makuutu to become a sustainable, long-life operation, supplying critical rare-earth oxide and heavy rare-earth oxide to global markets, generating strong financial returns while delivering significant social and economic benefits for the local communities.
The study proposes openpit mining over an initial 11-year mine life, with the ionic adsorption clay run-of-mine (RoM) fed into a modular heap-leach plant, where the rare-earth oxide (REO) is recovered from the ionic adsorption clay mineralisation using salt desorption to produce a mixed rare-earth carbonate product.
The first module will process 2.5-million tonnes a year RoM and produce about 800 t/y REO equivalent product.
Additional modules will be added in years 2, 4, 6 and 9 to increase the plant throughput up to 12.5-million tonnes by Year 10.
Potential Job Creation
Not stated.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an after-tax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $321-million and an internal rate of return of 38%, with a payback of about five years.
Capital Expenditure
Total capital expenditure is estimated at $301-million.
Preproduction capex, including contingency, is estimated at $89-million for Module 1, including the mining fleet.
The Module 2 expansion in Year 2 is estimated at $40-million.
The expansion from Module 2 to 5, estimated at about $172-million, will be funded from project cash flow.
Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.
Latest Developments
None stated.
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
IronRE, tel +61 8 9481 2555.
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