New Frontier Minerals Limited [LON:NFM] has received regulatory approval from the Northern Territory’s Department of Mining and Energy (DME) to commence its first reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign at the Harts Range Heavy Rare Earths and Niobium Project, located 140km north-east of Alice Springs, Australia.
The approval paves the way for the London- and Sydney-listed explorer to begin testing near-surface mineralisation across several high-priority targets that were identified during an extensive year-long exploration programme combining regional geophysics, detailed geological mapping, and surface geochemistry.
The maiden drilling campaign will include up to 46 RC holes, totalling approximately 2,500 metres, designed to assess the depth extensions of heavy rare earth mineralisation, with a particular focus on dysprosium and terbium, elements critical to the manufacture of high-performance permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, offshore wind turbines, and advanced defence technologies.
Harts Range drilling campaign to commence
Preparations for mobilisation are already under way, with logistics and drill pad construction advancing in anticipation of the arrival of the drilling crew. The company said the campaign aims to establish an initial understanding of the scale, grade, and continuity of the mineralised zones identified through surface exploration.
Chairman Gerrard Hall said the approvals represented “an important milestone” for the company.
“We are delighted that regulatory approval to commence the RC drilling campaign at the Harts Range Project has been secured,” Hall said. “Our contractors and geology team are now working at an accelerated pace to ensure the campaign can get underway in a timely manner.”
Hall added that the board expected to receive results shortly from ongoing metallurgical test work on a 25kg bulk sample collected from the project, which is being analysed to determine processing characteristics for rare earth recovery. “As insights start coming to hand from the metallurgical test work and drilling campaign, a clearer picture of the underlying heavy rare earth system will materialise,” he said.
Strategic ambitions and US investor access
The announcement comes as New Frontier Minerals positions itself to capitalise on growing demand for critical minerals essential to the global energy transition. Following a strategic review, the company has applied to list on the US OTCQB Market to broaden its investor base and enhance visibility among North American investors seeking exposure to Australian explorers with a focus on heavy rare earths.
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Hall said the move would “strengthen NFM’s international profile and enable access to a large pool of US investors increasingly focused on supply chain security for strategic minerals.”
Strengthening Australia’s critical minerals footprint
The Harts Range project is situated within a geologically rich corridor of the Northern Territory that has historically been underexplored for rare earths and niobium. Recent mapping and sampling have highlighted multiple zones of enrichment near the surface, prompting optimism that the project could emerge as a new source of heavy rare earths outside China, a key objective of Western governments and industries seeking diversified supply.
Heavy rare earth elements such as dysprosium and terbium are considered vital to clean energy and defence technologies, yet global supply remains heavily concentrated in China. Analysts say exploration projects in politically stable jurisdictions like Australia could play an increasingly important role in rebalancing the market over the coming decade.
With regulatory approvals now in place and preparations accelerating, drilling at Harts Range is expected to begin shortly. Results from the initial phase are anticipated to inform both follow-up drilling and ongoing metallurgical studies as New Frontier seeks to define a potentially strategic deposit at the heart of Australia’s emerging rare earths sector.
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