Chilean Cobalt has announced an expansion of exploration activities and land acquisition, alongside the initiation of an accelerated development programme, at the NeoRe rare earth project in southern Chile.
The company collaborated with NeoRe, the project's owner and operator, to advance resource validation and technical definition, building on an earn-in work programme launched earlier this year.
NeoRe commenced full-scale on-site exploration in January and February this year, deploying core geology and exploration teams to transition the project into its execution phase.
So far, drilling activities have achieved around 192m, revealing rare earth concentrations as high as 1,060 parts per million (ppm) total rare earth elements (TREE).
Several surface samples have also reported values exceeding 800ppm.
In a parallel effort, NeoRe has enlarged its project footprint by filing seven new concessions, adding roughly 2,100 hectares to the existing area.
The exploration initiatives have identified more than 20 prospective targets within the mineral-rich district.
Under NeoRe's conditional filing approach, surface samples with promising total rare earth oxide grades may lead to further concession filings by the end of the year.
The company aims to progress the project on a district-wide scale while methodically evaluating various potential areas within the region.
An accelerated work programme initiated by Chilean Cobalt and NeoRe aims to fast-track exploration, technical validation and project definition.
This programme is structured to complete tranche one by July 2026 and facilitate earlier assessments of possible development scenarios.
NeoRe plans to enhance its drilling operations with two parallel crews supported by a growing team across various disciplines including geology, metallurgy and sustainability.
The goal is to expedite resource validation, delineate higher-grade zones and assess multiple potentially mineralised areas for future modular development.
Beyond exploration, NeoRe has started conceptual engineering for a proposed modular processing strategy.
This includes designing a crushing and milling circuit to standardise mineral feed for metallurgical testing and permit preparation.
NeoRe CEO Arturo Albornoz said: “Our objective at NeoRe is not only to advance individual exploration targets but to define and develop a new rare earth district in southern Chile.
“Through systematic exploration, strategic land consolidation and collaboration with leading technical and academic partners, we are working to unlock the region's potential and position Chile as a meaningful future contributor to the global supply of critical minerals.”
