231019002343 - Amendment to the existing Environmental Clearance Certificate for Namibia Rare Earths (Pty) LTD ML 200 project

The current ECC provides for the development of an open pit mine, processing plant, and various mine infrastructure at Farm Lofdal. The Lofdal Mining Project will produce a concentrate consisting mainly of ‘rare earths’. The proposed amendments to the Lofdal Mining Project include an increased project footprint due to additional infrastructure and mining areas, improved processing of minerals, and increased Life of Mine (LoM). It must be noted that only exploration-related work currently takes place on site and as such, no infrastructure relating to the Lofdal Mining Project has been established. The ECC for the Lofdal Mining Project needs to be amended to cater for a larger mining operation. The amended Lofdal Mining Project will include, amongst others, the following facilities: • Two open pits (Area 4 (A4) open pit and Area 2B (A2B) open pit)– the 2016 EIA considered one small open pit at A4. • At the floatation plant, the throughput through the flotation plant is expected to increase from 0.9 Mt/a (2016) to 2.1 Mt/a. • A hydrometallurgical plant will be added to the processing plant. This ensures that instead of low-grade mineral concentrates, a 99% grade TREO product will be exported. Two Waste rock dumps (WRDs), A2B WRD, and one located south of the A4 open pit (South WRD). The 2016 EIA considered two alternatives of either one large WRD or two smaller WRDs located south of the A4 open pit. • A Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) – the current TSF will have the capacity to store 26.8 million tons (Mt), over 137ha, with a life of 16 years. The 2016 EIA considered two alternatives of a TSF located east or south of the A4 open pit, with a capacity to store 3.24 Mt, over a footprint of 5.3ha, with a life of 7 years. • Solar Photovoltaic (Solar PV) Plant and associated infrastructure: The location of the Solar PV plant at the Lofdal Mining Project site was amended to make space for a stockpile area and moved approximately 600m to the south of the 2016 location. • A Return Water Dam (RWD) and associated stormwater management pond. • Support infrastructure within the ML area will include internal access and haul roads, a stormwater management pond (part of the RWD), powerlines, pumps, pipelines, and other associated infrastructure and services such as process and non-process plant buildings and fuel storage facilities. • On-site power supply and linear infrastructure for power and water supply to the mine. Where the LoM of the Lofdal Mining Project assessed in 2016 was 7 years, the amended Lofdal Mining Project will have a combined LoM (A4 and A2B areas) of 16 years.