27,000 tonnes of ore stored before Kangankunde mine opens

A rare earth mining project expected to boost Malawi’s economy is already raising questions after thousands of tonnes of ore were found stored at the site before commercial production has officially started.

The Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources, Energy and Climate Change has raised concerns after discovering that about 27,000 tonnes of ore have already been stockpiled at the Kangankunde Rare Earth Mine in Balaka before the project has officially entered commercial production.

Presenting the committee’s report in Parliament on Monday, Chairperson Khadija Leah Chunga said members observed that large quantities of ore had already been accumulated at the mine site during an oversight visit conducted on July 19.

She also revealed that the committee was informed that the mine has been carrying out daily blasting operations at a depth of about 500 metres since July 1, while the mine’s ore storage facility is already about 50 percent full.

“We were told that approximately 27,000 tonnes of ore was already sitting in the run-of-mine pad at the mine and that the ore storage facility was already at 50 percent capacity. Honourable members may wish to note that this is for a project that has not yet been commissioned for commercial production,” Chunga told Parliament.

Although the Ministry of Mining assured the committee that there was no evidence of unauthorized commercial exports and that any exported material was strictly for exploration, laboratory testing and analysis under regulatory approval, the committee said the volume of ore already stockpiled and the scale of blasting operations justify closer and continuous monitoring.

Chunga said Parliament cannot rely on assurances alone and called for independent inspectors to regularly verify activities taking place at the mine to ensure the country’s mineral resources are fully protected.

The committee has since urged government institutions responsible for regulating the mining sector to strengthen oversight as development of one of the world’s largest rare earth deposits gathers momentum.