Pensana said on Monday that initial field programmes have started to test defined targets prospective for a range of critical commodities, including heavy rare earths, light rare earths, scandium, niobium, tantalum, hafnium and fluorspar.

“The Coola project contains several high-quality walk-up targets prospective for a suite of key strategic new technology metals forecast to be in undersupply and that could complement future NdPr and rare earths production from Longonjo,” said CEO Dave Hammond.

“The early reconnaissance sampling results are a great start in already confirming the Coola complex as a fertile mineralised system. The presence of substantial outcrops of fluorspar, which may have direct economic potential, is also a positive indicator of mineralisation of other technology metals within the geological system.

“Systematic sampling of the 6 km by 2.5 km complex has now been completed and samples dispatched for assay.”