5,360 1 TREO – total rare earth oxides The ongoing feasibility study envisages doubling the scale of the mining and processing operations at Songwe to one million tonnes per year of RoM feed to the mill. Due to the higher flotation concentrate grade, there would be 36% less tonnes of concentrate entering the hydrometallurgy plant, containing approximately double the quantity of rare earths, versus the pre-feasibility study. The results of the pilot programme, together with variability and other batch scale flotation test work, will be used to determine the flotation parameters over the life of the mine. The development of the optimised flotation regime is underpinned by a significant amount of mineralogy, comminution and flotation test work undertaken at commercial laboratories in Australia, South Africa, Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as three PhD research projects undertaken at Camborne School of Mines, United Kingdom. Not only has this international effort delivered a significantly improved flotation regime for Songwe, but it has led to a greater understanding of the mineralogy, geometallurgy and beneficiation processes for primary carbonatite hosted rare earth deposits.