George Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of Rainbow Rare Earths (RBW.L) Interview

Share Talk spoke with George Bennett, CEO of RBW to hear a bit more about about the company and the current work scope in the Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project in South Africa

Rainbow's strategy is to become a globally-significant producer of rare earth metals. NdPr are vital components of the strongest permanent magnets used for the motors and turbines driving the green technology revolution.

Analysts are predicting demand for magnet rare earth oxides will grow substantially over the coming years, driven by increasing adoption of green technology, pushing the overall market for NdPr into deficit.

The Company's Gakara Project in Burundi, which produces one of the highest-grade concentrates in the world (typically 54% total rare earth oxide ("TREO")) through ongoing trial mining operations, is currently the only African producer of rare earths. The Gakara basket is weighted heavily towards NdPr, which account for over approximately 19.5% of the contained TREO and 80% of the value of the concentrate.

The Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project, located in South Africa, comprises approximately 35 million tonnes of gypsum resulting from historic phosphate hard rock mining, containing rare earth elements with an estimated average in situ grade of 0.6% TREO, based on previous sampling campaigns, of which 30% comprises high-value NdPr. The rare earths are contained in chemical form in the gypsum stacks, which is expected to deliver a higher-value rare earth carbonate, with lower operating costs than a typical rare earth mineral project.