Namibia Critical Metals (TSX-V:NMI, OTCQB:NMREF) said on Monday it has appointed seasoned hydrometallurgist Niels Verbaan as vice president, metallurgy, as the Canadian junior miner pushes to advance its Lofdal Heavy Rare Earth Project in Namibia toward a definitive feasibility study.
Verbaan, a professional engineer with more than 25 years of experience in mineral processing, joins from SGS Lakefield, the world’s leading metallurgical testing and certification firm, where he served as senior director of technical services for hydrometallurgy.
“Niels brings a rare combination of deep rare earth expertise and hands-on execution experience,” said Darrin Campbell, president of Namibia Critical Metals. “His appointment materially strengthens our ability to deliver a robust, financeable DFS and positions Lofdal to advance toward development with a high degree of technical confidence, in close collaboration with our Japanese partners.”
Verbaan holds master’s degrees in mining engineering from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and in hydrometallurgy from McGill University in Canada. He has been involved in metallurgical development at some of the world’s most prominent rare earth projects, including Strange Lake, Nechalacho, Wicheeda Lake, Mountain Pass, and Serra Verde, as well as Lofdal itself.
Lofdal is one of the few advanced-stage heavy rare earth deposits outside of China, which dominates global production and processing of the materials. Western governments and automakers have scrambled to secure alternative sources of dysprosium and terbium, which are essential for the high-performance magnets used in EV motors and clean energy applications.
Namibia Critical Metals has been developing Lofdal in partnership with Japanese interests, positioning the project as a potential future supplier to Asian and Western magnet supply chains.
By – https://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/1090430/namibia-critical-metals-hires-veteran-rare-earths-specialist-for-lofdal-development-1090430.html