Chilean Cobalt Advances NeoRe Rare Earth Project in Chile as Phase 2 Exploration Begins
US-based Chilean Cobalt Corporation has completed the Phase 1 work programme at its NeoRe rare earths project in southern Chile and has officially launched Phase 2 as it works toward earning 100% ownership of the asset.
The completion of Phase 1 marks a key milestone under the company’s earn-in and option agreement with NeoRE SpA.
The initial programme included geological data collection, preliminary geological modelling and assessments of mineral continuity, providing the technical foundation for the next stage of development.
Phase 2 will focus on expanded exploration drilling, metallurgical testing, engineering studies and permitting activities to advance the project toward potential commercial production.
Chilean Cobalt said exploration drilling has reached 2,000 metres so far this year through parallel drilling programmes.
At the project’s pilot plant, the third batch of material is now being processed, while carbonate washing continues on the first two batches as the company works to establish continuous production of rare earth carbonate concentrate.
The company has also shipped its first rare earth carbonate concentrate samples to prospective US processing and offtake partners for testing, an important step toward validating the project’s processing capabilities and securing future commercial agreements.
As part of Phase 2, Chilean Cobalt will undertake conceptual mine engineering to evaluate development scenarios based on production capacities of 5,000 tonnes and 10,000 tonnes per month, while supporting future permitting efforts.
Chief Executive Officer Duncan Blount said the NeoRe project is rich in heavy rare earth elements, including yttrium, dysprosium and terbium, which are critical for advanced technologies and are expected to play an important role in strengthening Western supply chains for critical minerals.
Beyond NeoRe, Chilean Cobalt is also advancing its La Cobaltera and El Cofre cobalt-copper projects in Chile, with diversified mining company Glencore expected to serve as a future buyer of the projects’ cobalt- and copper-containing products.
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