Madagascar rare earths: Ampasindava’s exploitation permit is formalised ahead of a 2028 start

Madagascar’s Ministry of Mines has formalised the exploitation permit for Harena Rare Earths’ Ampasindava project, an ionic clay deposit the London-listed company plans to bring into production in 2028 at about 4,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides a year, with up to $4.84m from the US DFC behind its pilot.

Harena Rare Earths expects about 4,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides a year from its Ampasindava ionic clay project in Madagascar, including 1,700 tonnes of the magnet rare earths NdPr and DyTb, and the country’s Ministry of Mines has now formalised the project’s exploitation permit, Mining Weekly reported on 12 October.

Production is targeted for 2028 on a project Reuters put at roughly $150m in July, when the London-listed company announced that the US International Development Finance Corporation had committed up to $4.84m, which Harena expects to draw on for a pilot phase built around a demonstration plant.

Executive chairperson Ivan Murphy called the permit “a major milestone for Harena and the Ampasindava project”, and the company’s next step is an environmental permit and approval of its environmental and social plans, both of which are needed before construction can begin.

Harena is evaluating processing in the US and Europe and has named MP Materials and Solvay among possible refining partners, according to Reuters, and a DFC official said in July that the agency could consider further support subject to due diligence and approvals.

The pilot phase is meant to test the project’s technical and economic parameters ahead of that 2028 start, and Harena says Madagascar could join the small group of countries that both produce and process rare earths.