London-listed Kendrick Resources has completed a 7,512-metre drilling campaign comprising 100 holes at its Teufelskuppe rare-earth project in Namibia, providing the geological data needed for a maiden mineral resource estimate while metallurgical testing continues in Germany.
The six-month exploration programme focused on subsurface carbonatite mineralisation. Kendrick has appointed independent consultant Sound Mining to prepare the project’s first JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate, which is targeted for January 2027, subject to the return of outstanding assay results.
The estimate will establish the deposit’s mineralised tonnage, grade and geological continuity, providing the first comprehensive assessment of its resource potential. Previous drilling at Teufelskuppe returned an intercept of 21.2 metres grading 8.1% total rare-earth oxides (TREO). However, this result represents an individual intersection and does not establish the average grade or overall scale of the deposit.
German Laboratory Work to Assess Mineral Recovery
Alongside resource definition, Kendrick is advancing metallurgical investigations with Germany-based Dorfner Anzaplan, which is conducting mineral-liberation and recovery testing on material from the project.
A preliminary laboratory report is expected before the end of December. The work is intended to determine whether the rare-earth minerals can be separated and recovered efficiently, an important factor in assessing the project’s potential processing economics.
The involvement of Anzaplan provides Teufelskuppe with a technical link to Germany, but it does not represent a processing agreement or a binding European offtake arrangement. The results will be important because mineralised tonnage and grade alone do not establish commercial viability. Recovery rates, mineral liberation and the presence of impurities can influence processing costs and the economics of downstream separation. Metallurgical performance will therefore be a key consideration alongside the maiden resource estimate.
Project Ownership and Financing Remain Subject to Further Progress
Kendrick has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 70% interest in the relevant project licences. The company is also pursuing partnership and funding discussions, although no new construction-financing agreement has been announced and no final customer has been identified.
Completion of the drilling campaign represents an exploration milestone rather than financial close or a decision to proceed with mine development.
Namibia’s growing importance as a potential source of critical minerals has placed projects such as Teufelskuppe within the scope of increasing Western interest. A technically viable rare-earth deposit supported by European laboratory work could potentially become part of Western processing supply chains, although no commercial route has yet been secured.
Resource Estimate and Metallurgical Results Set Next Milestones
The immediate priorities are the publication of the maiden resource estimate by Sound Mining and the completion of Anzaplan’s assessment of mineral liberation and recovery.
Together, these results will provide a clearer basis for determining the deposit’s scale and processing potential. Further economic studies and financing discussions would follow those technical assessments.
Kendrick’s completed drilling programme has supplied the exploration data required for the next evaluation stage, while the outstanding assay and metallurgical results will help establish whether Teufelskuppe can advance beyond exploration towards a potential rare-earth development.
