en.Wedoany.com Reported - Australian resources company Victory Metals (ASX:VTM) has sent concentrate samples from its North Stanmore heavy rare earth project in Western Australia to potential offtake partners, initiating an independent certification process, a key step in the project's commercialization.
These concentrate samples, sourced from the Perth flotation pilot plant, will undergo product inspection, analysis, and certification under independent conditions. Potential customers can use this process to verify concentrate grade, heavy rare earth distribution, and impurity levels, assessing the feasibility of a new supply source.
The pilot plant operates under continuous steady-state conditions, producing heavy rare earth-enriched concentrate while supporting ongoing optimization of the flotation process and parallel offtake negotiations. Victory Metals CEO and Executive Director Brendan Clark stated that the pilot plant has transitioned from the commissioning phase to stable operation, providing confidence to potential customers.
"Sending our heavy rare earth concentrate to partners in Australia, Japan, and the United States for independent testing is a significant commercial step—our product is now being evaluated by those who need it most," Clark said.
Victory Metals has also adjusted the completion date of the North Stanmore pre-feasibility study to August 2026. The adjustment is due to the discovery, during pilot plant operations and concurrent review of geological data, that a substantial amount of material previously recorded as "saprock" is actually "saprolite." Saprolite is the ore type on which VTM's metallurgical testing is based, meaning previously excluded material may support expanded ore reserves. Clark expects this to bring additional economic advantages.
"Adjusting the pre-feasibility study completion date to August 2026 is a value-driven decision. Moderately extending the timeline to incorporate a larger verified ore reserve inventory will make the study and the project substantially stronger," he said.
