Critica Limited managing director Philippa Leggat said: “The metallurgical workstreams in progress are targeted to build on the outstanding initial beneficiation results we announced earlier this year. The results demonstrated the potential to upgrade representative Jupiter mineralisation by almost ten times while reducing overall material mass by approximately 95%.”
The Brothers project – and Critica’s Jupiter discovery in particular – have quickly emerged as standout clay-hosted rare earths plays in Australia’s booming critical minerals space.
Critica recently published a huge 1.8 billion tonne maiden global resource grading 1700ppm TREO at Jupiter.
The eye-watering resource, which was crunched by global heavyweight SRK Consulting, includes a hefty 500 million tonnes sitting at a high-grade 2200ppm TREO, using an impressive cut-off grade of 1800ppm.
Management says the near-surface and remarkably consistent nature of the globally significant deposit has thrown open a world of options for future processing and development.
Critica says the R&D refund and the broader Australian Government support for early-stage project development work were strong endorsements of the company’s efforts to create and protect intellectual property around rare earths processing.
Given recent geopolitical events, which have seen a dramatic adjustment in the supply chain for critical metals, the work is also in line with a broader government push to shore up alternative supply chains for key ingredients used in electric vehicles, renewable energy and defence technologies.
With a beefed-up balance sheet, compelling early results in hand and a clear runway for more technical breakthroughs, Critica looks poised to punch well above its weight in the race to feed the world’s insatiable appetite for critical minerals.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
