Pensana is pleased to announce the successful completion of the initial drilling program of the Coola Carbonatite, located approximately 30km north of the Company’s flagship Longonjo rare earth project in central Angola. Longonjo remains one of the world’s largest undeveloped rare earth deposits, and Coola is a key component of Pensana’s regional exploration strategy to extend the Longonjo Life of Mine.
The program was completed ahead of the onset of the rainy season, marking another important milestone in the Company’s efforts to evaluate the broader mineral potential of the Coola Complex.
Following earlier fieldwork and soil sampling programs, the reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign covered eight selected points across the central diatreme. The program successfully secured samples for the further assay, mineralogical, and metallurgical analysis to assess the alkaline/carbonatite complex’s potential contribution to future rare earth production.
The drilling was executed by Pensana’s Coola exploration team in collaboration with SOEMTO, a local Angolan drilling contractor and engineering services provider. Drill chips were collected at one-metre intervals, and the use of on-site portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) allowed for efficient real-time interpretation by SOEMTO, with oversight and verification by Pensana’s experienced technical team.
Initial interpretations will be released in the coming weeks, following the more detailed off-site laboratory analyses.
Grant Hayward, Pensana’s Exploration Manager, commented:
“I’m delighted that we were able to complete this drilling program timeously alongside SOEMTO ahead of the impending rainy season at the Coola carbonatite target. We look forward to announcing our interpretation in the weeks ahead.”
The Founders of SOEMTO stated:
“Coola means a lot to us as Angolan partners in establishing ourselves in the drilling space. We know the challenges that come with it and that’s why working with a company like Pensana is such a milestone. For us, Coola is more than a drilling program, it’s a step forward for Angola, for our partners, and for the communities whose lives will benefit from its success.
This collaboration is special as it connects Angola and the UK through a project that is at the heart of the world’s future. Rare earths are essential for modern technologies, and being part of this exploration program gives us the chance to contribute to something bigger, while also creating local opportunities.”
SOEMTO is a local Angolan engineering and drilling services provider catered to global needs. What began as identifying niches in the lack of engineering solutions locally, steadily evolved to offer end-to-end solutions including Core & RC Drilling, tailored to client-needs within the exploration space. With our emphasis on efficiency, safety, and local capacity building, we aim to expand Angola’s technical frontiers.
By empowering a new generation of Angolan drillers and technical professionals, SOEMTO demonstrates that the country has the expertise within its own borders to execute complex exploration projects with confidence and precision.
Source: www.pensana.co.uk
Aleksei Andrievskii is the founder of the ANDRIEVSKII SEA WEALTH family office in Cyprus, a member of the advisory board at Bendura Bank AG, Liechtenstein