New Frontier Minerals (ASX:NFM) - Heavy Rare Earth Play Outside China's Dominant Supply Chain

Interview with Kevin Das, Senior Technical Consultant of Frontier Minerals Ltd.

Recording date: 8th April 2025

New Frontier Minerals, dual-listed on the London and Australian Stock Exchanges, is strategically positioning itself in Australia's critical minerals sector with a focused approach to exploration and development. The company is advancing two key projects: the Harts Range project near Alice Springs and a copper development in Northwest Queensland.

The Harts Range project has generated significant interest following recent airborne geophysical surveys that identified 46 potential targets, exceeding management expectations. The company's exploration focus centers on high-value heavy rare earth elements, particularly dysprosium and terbium, which are primarily sourced from China and are essential for defense applications and electric vehicles.

"What we have at Harts Range which makes it different to all the other rare earth projects is we have their high value heavy rare earths," explains Kevin Das, Senior Technical Consultant for New Frontier Minerals. "These high value heavy rare earths can only be found really in China and there's probably another handful of companies around the world that have these valuable and highly critical minerals."

The company has identified two promising prospects at Harts Range, named "Bobs" and "Cusp," where surface sampling has yielded consistently high grades. An interesting feature of the mineralization is that rare earths, uranium, and niobium occur together, creating efficiency in exploration.

Simultaneously, New Frontier is advancing its copper project in Northwest Queensland's Mount Isa region. The project includes the "Big One" deposit, containing approximately 2.2 million tons of copper at 1.1% grade. In January, the company signed an MOU with Austral Resources to potentially process ore at their nearby Mount Kelly facility, creating a pathway to production without substantial capital investment.

"That gives us a real clear pathway to production because we don't have to go to markets to raise $100 million to build a processing facility," Das notes.

To fund its exploration activities, New Frontier has divested three non-core assets over the past six months, generating sufficient working capital for planned activities. This approach demonstrates capital discipline and allows the company to focus on its most promising assets without immediate dilution to shareholders.

Near-term plans include validating targets at Harts Range, conducting trial processing of copper stockpiles, and drilling at Harts Range later this year. The company's presence in a region attracting major mining companies like Glencore, Anglo America, Rio Tinto, and FMG also creates potential for future M&A activity.

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