• Construction of 25kg/hour Pilot Plant complete
• Process operations team recruited and trained
• Wet commissioning completed, first MREC production expected in early December

Meteoric Resources NL (ASX: MEI) has completed the wet commissioning of its Pilot Plant at the 100%-owned Caldeira Rare Earth Ionic Clay Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Pilot Plant has a processing capacity of 25kg/hour of ore and its construction has now been completed. The process operations team has been recruited, inducted, and fully trained over the last quarter. Dry commissioning commenced in October and was completed in parallel with construction. Wet commissioning has progressed efficiently and was completed on 17 November. Process commissioning to introduce ore will now commence, with first Mixed Rare Earth Carbonate (MREC) production expected in early December. The capital costs of the Pilot Plant are A$1.5 million and are within budget expectations. The Pilot Plant is an important step in the development and de-risking of the Caldeira Project, as it provides validation of the process flowsheet at scale, produces MREC for distribution to offtake partners, and allows the company to further assess downstream processing options to separate rare earths on site.

The Pilot Plant is expected to deliver first MREC production in early December, which will be provided to offtake partners for ongoing product qualification. The data generated from the pilot campaigns will also be incorporated into the Definitive Feasibility Study currently being undertaken by Ausenco.