High-grade rare earths mine the Steenkampskraal Monazite Mine (SMM), located in the Western Cape, is moving out of care and maintenance to gear up for production, following approval by the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) to proceed with the refurbishment of the mine’s infrastructure and reclamation of monazite material.

“The approval allows the mine to proceed with the re-equipping of the existing headgear infrastructure and decline shaft. The reclamation process will involve the removal of underground stockpiled blasted and ballast material brought to the surface for placement onto the existing feed-to-plant stockpile,” SMM CEO and mine manager Graham Soden explains.

Upgrading the infrastructure will involve the construction of new ablution blocks and offices, as well as surface water runoff controls and retention dams.

Also, security facilities will be upgraded to comply with the NNR’s regulatory requirements.

“In line with this, we will shortly commence with a recruitment drive to employ staff, mostly from feeder villages in the area as part of our strategy to create local employment and generate local economic development,” Soden says.

“On further approval from the NNR, for which we are currently waiting, we will proceed with the installation of a laboratory-scale processing plant. It will use a novel technology that will begin with a proof-of-concept test phase for the generation of monazite concentrate.

“Following the success of the test, a lab-scale installation of a monazite concentrate cracking plant will further extend our level of plant design and efficiencies,” Soden outlines.

This follows the recent announcement by Thor Medical and the mine’s owner Steenkampskraal Holdings of the signing of a memorandum of understanding for feedstock supply and technology cooperation. 

“The ambition is to enter into a long-term partnership agreement for the supply of feedstock as part of Thor Medical’s strategy to develop multiple feedstock suppliers,” says SMM executive director and chairperson Enock Mathebula.

“The Steenkampskraal mine is also considered to have among the highest concentration of thorium globally. The abundant resources of natural thorium at the mine are sufficient to meet the global demand for medical isotopes from its decay for the foreseeable future.

“The plan is to leverage Thor Medical’s expertise to efficiently produce valuable alpha-emitters for use in next-generation cancer treatment from feedstock from Steenkampskraal’s mineral resources,” he adds.