Chinese Export Controls Spotlight Rimfire’s Scandium Potential at Fifield

Robust Early Assay Results

Rimfire Pacific Mining has announced compelling initial assay results from its recent air core drilling campaign at the Currajong Scandium Prospect, located within the Fifield Scandium District of New South Wales. The program, which drilled 200 holes over a 3-kilometre ultramafic belt, has returned multiple high-grade scandium intercepts, including standout intervals such as 12 metres at 367 ppm Scandium (563 ppm Sc Oxide) and 16 metres at 361 ppm Sc (554 ppm Sc Oxide). These grades are among the highest Rimfire has recorded in the region to date.

Geological Context and Mineralisation

The scandium mineralisation is hosted predominantly within a weathered saprolite zone developed over ultramafic pyroxenite rocks, a known primary source of scandium in the broader Fifield district. The drilling has also intersected prospective ultramafic rock types in previously untested western and northern areas of the Currajong belt, with assays pending. If these results prove positive, they could significantly expand the known mineralised footprint.

Strategic Importance Amid Global Supply Constraints

The timing of these results is particularly significant given recent Chinese government restrictions on scandium exports. China currently accounts for approximately 67% of global primary scandium feedstock and refines around 90% of the world’s supply. The export controls, coupled with increased tariffs on rare earth elements, have heightened concerns over international availability, especially for countries like the USA that rely heavily on imports for manufacturing and defence technologies.

Rimfire’s Position in the Western Supply Chain

Rimfire’s extensive landholdings in the Fifield Scandium District, including the Currajong prospect, position the company as a potentially critical supplier of scandium to Western markets. Managing Director David Hutton emphasised the low-risk nature of the project and Rimfire’s ambition to rapidly build a critical mass of scandium resources to meet growing demand. The company is awaiting the remaining assay results expected by mid-June, which will inform a maiden scandium mineral resource estimate.

Looking Ahead

With the global supply landscape tightening and strategic minerals gaining prominence, Rimfire’s Currajong project could emerge as a vital alternative source of scandium outside China. The forthcoming assay results and resource estimate will be closely watched by investors and industry stakeholders eager to gauge the project’s scale and economic potential.