Until recently, rare earths were mostly mined, processed and refined in China.
However, rare earths are needed across the world because of our dependence on technology and pursuit of clean energy solutions. China, Japan and the USA account for most of the world’s demand for rare earths. Rare earths are key elements used in the automotive, consumer electronics, green energy, aerospace and healthcare sectors, and in oil refining.

BAUER Technologies South Africa was awarded the contract for the drilling campaign of large diameter bulk sampling for several exploration sections in the project area in Angola.

The main objective in the drilling campaign was to acquire rare earth samples up to 24 m depth for further laboratory testing for product characterization studies.

For project execution, a BAUER BG15 piling rig with Kelly bar and 780mm drilling tools was used.

The drill holes were drilled with a short top collar casing and uncased Kelly drilling method thereafter.

The project and the sampling works were completed under stringent HSE requirements on schedule in December 2020.