Sovereign Metals achieves exceptional land rehabilitation results at Kasiya rutile-graphite project in Malawi
ASX-listed Sovereign Metals has reported “exceptional” first-year results from its rehabilitation trials at the Kasiya rutile and graphite project in Malawi, providing critical data that will shape the progressive rehabilitation strategy for the project’s definitive feasibility study (DFS).
The trials demonstrated that post-mining land can deliver significantly higher agricultural yields compared with pre-mining conditions. Maize harvests reached 5.2 t/ha, far surpassing the regional average of 1 t/ha.
Sovereign says these results validate its approach of progressive mining, backfilling, and rehabilitation—practices that will be embedded into the DFS.
CEO Frank Eagar described the results as a milestone for Kasiya:
“These outstanding rehabilitation results represent another critical step in our systematic approach to developing Kasiya into a Tier 1, low-carbon, sustainable operation.
The empirical data directly informs our DFS rehabilitation strategy, further de-risking the project while showcasing exceptional ESG credentials.”
Sovereign emphasised its pledge to fully rehabilitate all disturbed land, ensuring long-term agricultural use beyond the mine’s life. Rehabilitation lead and environmental manager Marco Da Cunha added:
“We partnered with local farmers to test several rehabilitation options, creating a model for agronomic-driven soil restoration that Sovereign will adopt during mining.”
Community-Centric Rehabilitation Model
For the trial, Sovereign secured a 10-hectare site under a two-year lease from local farmers. Working alongside 28 farmers, the company remediated soils and planted bamboo and maize.
Instead of advanced mechanisation, the project relied on local labour to maximise community benefits.
The approach allowed both Sovereign and farmers to gain hands-on experience in the rehabilitation process.
Once the 2025/26 farming season harvest is completed, the land will be returned to the farmers.
Sovereign said the initiative not only proved the technical success of its rehabilitation model but also strengthened its social licence to operate:
“This collaborative approach has built long-term stakeholder support and established a replicable model ready for broader implementation across the Kasiya project.”
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