Kendrick Resources says drilling at its Teufelskuppe rare earth project in Namibia has returned weighted average grades of 3.03% total rare earth oxides over a 112-metre diamond drill hole, including more than 17 metres grading above 4% TREO and a high-grade interval peaking at 10.47% TREO, as the company pushes toward maiden resource estimates and possible mine development studies.
The latest drilling results came from the TK2 carbonatite target, where Kendrick holds a 70% earn-in interest through Bonya Exploration Namibia, and form part of what the company increasingly describes as a potentially “top tier world class project.”
One of the strongest intercepts came from the 42.5-metre to 46.25-metre interval, which returned 4.94% TREO, including a bonanza-grade section peaking at 10.47% TREO.
The company said more than 17 metres of the core exceeded 4% TREO, including a 7.25-metre section grading 5.1% TREO.
A broader mineralised interval between 56.25 metres and 92 metres returned 3.95% TREO, while another interval between 102.75 metres and 112.75 metres returned 2.05% TREO. The full borehole returned a weighted mean grade of 3.03% TREO.
Kendrick said average neodymium and praseodymium grades within the drill hole reached 0.54% and 0.16%, respectively, with the two strategic magnet rare earths contributing about 25% of the overall rare earth basket.
The company also reported strong surface sampling results across the wider TK1 to TK7 carbonatite complex, with 295 samples averaging 3.12% TREO and peak surface grades of 4.79% TREO at TK1A.
Kendrick currently estimates an in-house surface tonnage target of approximately 14 million tonnes grading 3.12% TREO across the Teufelskuppe complex, with the company saying the estimate excludes deeper mineralisation and additional upside from the nearby Kieshöhe project.
Chairman Colin Bird said the latest drilling continued validating the scale and continuity of mineralisation throughout the broader carbonatite system.
“This is more verification that the very large surface expressions of the TK carbonatite contain similar grades supporting our prognosis of continuity throughout the TK complex,” Bird said.
Bird added that Kendrick believes Teufelskuppe has the potential to become a “top-tier world-class project” as drilling, trenching, and sampling continue to expand the mineralised footprint.
The company is now advancing a planned 13,200-metre drilling campaign across Teufelskuppe to establish the depth, continuity and grade of mineralisation below surface. A separate 10,500-metre drilling programme is also underway at the nearby Kieshöhe rare earth project.
Kendrick said the dominant rare earths at Teufelskuppe are cerium, lanthanum, neodymium and praseodymium, with the project increasingly positioned as a potential future non-Chinese supply source for permanent magnets, electric vehicles, defence systems and advanced industrial technologies.
The company further stated that the overall grades at Teufelskuppe place the project within the upper quartile globally when benchmarked against major rare earth operations in China, the United States and Australia.
Metallurgical and beneficiation studies are already underway, including work focused on separating neodymium-praseodymium oxide concentrates, while logistics consultants have been engaged to assess infrastructure and transport requirements for a future central processing facility serving both Teufelskuppe and Kieshöhe.
