GMM Update on Kanyika Niobium Project Puts Production in 2028
In a coomunique issued on 19 December 2025, Globe Metals and Mining (GMM, ASX: GBE) provided an update on its Kanyika Niobium project in Malawi. Previously slated for production in 2026, the mine will now only enter production by 2028. The large-scale mining license stipulates that GMM must hit production within five years of its issue in 2021, but given the delays, GMM will have to seek an extension.
Niobium (#Nb) has exceptional resistance to corrosion and can maintain its structural integrity at extreme temperatures over 2,000 degrees Celsius. These characteristics make it an important additive to alloys used in the manufacturing of jet and rocket engines. Thus, the aerospace sector accounts for 20% of global niobium demand. Niobium is also used in wind turbines and electrical transmission, but its fastest-growing segment relies on its superconductivity at cryogenic temperatures.
Brazil accounts for 90% of the world’s niobium production, with Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineracao (CBMM) taking the lion’s share. In 2026, China Molybdenum (CMOC) entered the fray upon the acquisition of the Boa Vista mine in Brazil, and now contributes about 10% to the global supply. Both the US and EU have niobium in their list of #CriticalMinerals that are essential for key applications such as defense and are susceptible to supply chain vulnerabilities.
In that context, GMM was expected to compress its implementation roadmap. Nevertheless, the company states that it is on track to complete its Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) by 31 March 2026. Final Investment Decision (FID) is then expected by end of 2026. At the same time, the company is busy finalizing the construction design, the resettlement plan, and offtake agreements.
The location of Kanyika mine makes a connection to the 33 kV line in Chinyama feasible. To complement its power needs, GMM plans to build a hybrid solar-diesel power plant.
After the first sale of minerals in 2028, the company will work on Phase II, which will commence in 2029. In Phase II, annual production is forecasted to scale up to 3,000 tonnes of niobium pentoxide and 150 tonnes of tantalaum pentoxide. As part of the two-stage flotation process, GMM expects to be able to recover zircon as another by-product.
In line with the wishes of the local authorities for mining companies to undertake more local value addition (#LVA) beyond concentration, GMM has put on the drawing board a refinery project in Lilongwe. In addition, GMM reveals that traces of Rare Earths Elements (#REE) have also been detected at Kanyika and could augment the revenue stream.