Gabon seeks $2 billion to revive Mabounie Rare Earths Project
2026-11-09 11:00:11 [Print]
Gabon is seeking to revive its long-stalled Mabounie niobium and rare-earth project through a proposed $2 billion development involving Emirati-backed New Energy Metals and the Chinese engineering group ENFI.
New Energy Metals and its subsidiary Dusk Gabon presented a technical study for the project to President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema during his visit to Beijing last week, according to a statement posted on the presidency's Facebook page.
If it proceeds, the development is expected to create more than 2,500 direct jobs and include processing facilities within the Central African country. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027.
Mabounié, located about 200 km (124 miles) southeast of Gabon's capital, Libreville, has been explored for years but has never reached commercial production.
The project envisions an open-pit mine at Mabounié producing 3 million tonnes of ore per year, along with a mineral processing plant near the mine that would remove impurities (iron and titanium) through magnetic and gravity separation, yielding 1.5 million tonnes of concentrated ore.
It also includes a complex hydrometallurgical plant, to be located at a site to be confirmed by the feasibility study, which would allow for the extraction, separation and purification of valuable elements (Nb, U, TR) to produce FeNb (with the feasibility study targeting 14,500 tpa of Nb content), separated rare earths (targeting 14,000 tpa), and potentially other valuable elements such as uranium, phosphate and scandium.
New Energy Metals and its subsidiary Dusk Gabon presented a technical study for the project to President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema during his visit to Beijing last week, according to a statement posted on the presidency's Facebook page.
If it proceeds, the development is expected to create more than 2,500 direct jobs and include processing facilities within the Central African country. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027.
Mabounié, located about 200 km (124 miles) southeast of Gabon's capital, Libreville, has been explored for years but has never reached commercial production.
The project envisions an open-pit mine at Mabounié producing 3 million tonnes of ore per year, along with a mineral processing plant near the mine that would remove impurities (iron and titanium) through magnetic and gravity separation, yielding 1.5 million tonnes of concentrated ore.
It also includes a complex hydrometallurgical plant, to be located at a site to be confirmed by the feasibility study, which would allow for the extraction, separation and purification of valuable elements (Nb, U, TR) to produce FeNb (with the feasibility study targeting 14,500 tpa of Nb content), separated rare earths (targeting 14,000 tpa), and potentially other valuable elements such as uranium, phosphate and scandium.
Niobium Pentoxide 99.99%min, Sb 10ppm max EXW China
Unit:RMB/kg
China niobium oxide producers' operating rate statistics by province by month
Unit: %
