Chilwa Minerals Expands Heavy Mineral Sands Footprint with New Mpyupyu West Target

Discovery of Mpyupyu West Broadens HMS Potential

Chilwa Minerals (ASX:CHW) has unveiled a new heavy mineral sands (HMS) target at Mpyupyu West, covering roughly 5 square kilometres on the western flank of Mpyupyu Hill in Southern Malawi. This fresh prospect lies within a stone’s throw of the company’s existing Mpyupyu Dune and Flats deposits, which collectively boast over 51 million tonnes of JORC-classified resources. The discovery, based on hand augering and panning of near-surface sands, offers a promising extension to Chilwa’s HMS footprint in the region.

Managing Director Cadell Buss described Mpyupyu West as a "meaningful expansion" and highlighted its strategic location. Sitting just 2 kilometres from the Nakombe niobium-rare earth elements (REE) discovery and 3 kilometres from the Mpyupyu Dune and Flats resources, Mpyupyu West could potentially link with the Bimbi deposits to form a continuous HMS corridor along Lake Chilwa’s western and northern shores.

Drilling Resumes with Dual Sonic Rigs

After a pause due to Malawi’s rainy season, Chilwa has restarted drilling with two sonic rigs. Rig 1 is focused on Bimbi Southwest, testing a potential extension to resources that currently total 5.08 million tonnes at 4.55% total heavy minerals (THM) in the Indicated category and 14.93 million tonnes at 2.77% THM Inferred. Rig 2 targets the newly identified Mpyupyu West area, with plans for 53 sonic drill holes designed to verify and quantify the mineralisation suggested by reconnaissance sampling.

The company anticipates assay results from the recent northern shore infill drilling within 3 to 4 weeks, which will feed into an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the Mpyupyu Dune and Flats deposits. The combined JORC resources for these deposits currently stand at 25.17 million tonnes at 5.14% THM Indicated and 26 million tonnes at 3.61% THM Inferred. Complementing this, QEMSCAN analysis to determine valuable heavy mineral proportions is expected shortly, providing critical input for resource evaluation and economic modelling.

Strategic Synergies with Nakombe Niobium-REE Project

Mpyupyu West’s proximity to the Nakombe niobium-REE discovery is more than geographical convenience. Chilwa’s development sequencing anticipates HMS mining at Mpyupyu to progress ahead of Nakombe, meaning infrastructure such as access roads, power, water, and logistics established for HMS operations could directly support the niobium project. This potential infrastructure sharing could materially reduce capital requirements and timelines for the critical minerals operation at Nakombe, enhancing the overall project economics.

This multi-commodity approach positions Chilwa as a rare explorer with contiguous licences hosting both heavy mineral sands and critical rare earth and niobium deposits, all within one of Africa’s most prospective alkaline provinces.

Advancing Towards Economic Evaluation

Alongside drilling, Chilwa is progressing a scoping study encompassing all HMS deposits on the southern, western, and northern shores of Lake Chilwa. This study will incorporate updated resource estimates and QEMSCAN data to refine economic assumptions, focusing initially on the Mposa, Mpyupyu Dune, and Flats deposits.

The company’s exploration license EL0670/22/R1 and adjacent EL0835/25 cover a significant area of the Lake Chilwa basin, with exploration tenure secured through 2028 and extensions underway to include niobium and related minerals. Reconnaissance sampling at Mpyupyu West, conducted via hand panning of shallow sands, has informed drill targeting but awaits confirmation through sonic drilling and standard HMS sink-float assays.

Chilwa’s approach reflects a methodical expansion of its mineral sands resources while leveraging geological and infrastructure synergies with its critical minerals projects, setting the stage for integrated development in Southern Malawi.