Pensana Advances Rare Earth Exploration with Coola Drilling Programme in Angola
London-listed Pensana has successfully completed an initial drilling programme at the Coola carbonatite, located approximately 30 km north of the company’s flagship Longonjo rare earth project in central Angola.
Longonjo is recognized as one of the world’s largest undeveloped rare earth deposits, and Coola forms a key part of Pensana’s regional exploration strategy, aimed at extending the Longonjo project’s life-of-mine.
Drilling Programme Details
The programme was conducted ahead of the rainy season, marking an important step in evaluating the mineral potential of the Coola Complex. Following earlier fieldwork and soil sampling, a reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign was carried out across eight selected points in the central diatreme.
Samples collected during drilling will undergo assay, mineralogical, and metallurgical analysis to determine the potential contribution of the Coola alkaline-carbonatite complex to future rare earth production.
Drilling operations were led by Pensana’s Coola exploration team in collaboration with Angolan drilling contractor and engineering services provider SOEMTO.
Drill chips were collected at 1-meter intervals, with on-site portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) used to provide real-time analysis. Oversight and verification were conducted by Pensana’s technical team.
Next Steps and Expectations
Pensana indicated that initial interpretations of the drilling results will be released in the coming weeks, following detailed laboratory analyses off-site.
“We are pleased to have completed this drilling programme on schedule ahead of the rainy season at Coola. We look forward to releasing our interpretation in the coming weeks,” said Grant Hayward, Pensana Exploration Manager.
SOEMTO highlighted the broader significance of the project:
“Coola represents more than a drilling programme; it is a step forward for Angola, our partners, and the communities that will benefit from its success,” said the company’s founders.
