London-listed Pensana has commenced preparations for a 7,000-meter infill drilling program at its Longonjo rare earths project in Angola.
The initiative aims to deliver detailed geological and grade control data in advance of mining, as well as stockpiling and blending activities scheduled for early 2027. This program will be carried out alongside the resource expansion drilling announced last year.
Two reverse circulation drilling rigs are scheduled for mobilization ahead of the planned drilling campaign, which is expected to take place throughout the dry season from May to October.
The program targets completion of a 10-meter by 10-meter drill grid across weathered run-of-mine material from the initial pit production zones. The Longonjo deposit comprises a near-surface blanket of high-grade, neodymium/praseodymium-rich total rare earth oxides (TREO), with an average thickness of approximately 30 meters.
Historical drilling has demonstrated that mineralization extends beyond 100 meters below the current resource boundary, indicating significant potential for resource base expansion through additional drilling, according to Pensana.
During this campaign, samples will also be collected from greater depths to enhance understanding of the full vertical extent of mineralization and support evaluations aimed at potentially increasing inferred resources from the existing 313 million tonnes at 1.43% TREO toward one billion tonnes at a comparable grade.
If achieved, this would position Longonjo as one of the largest rare earth deposits under development globally.
A laboratory facility is being procured for delivery to site in conjunction with rig mobilization. This containerized unit will include sample preparation infrastructure and an automated X-ray fluorescence analyzer, facilitating timely and cost-effective multi-element analysis on site.
Grade control drilling will continue throughout most of Longonjo’s mine life, consistently remaining one year ahead of mine planning. The results will further inform the current mine and stockpile blending plan, developed in collaboration with Practara, and will enhance the project’s comprehensive geological dataset ahead of commissioning.
