Critica (ASX:CRI) has appointed Sedgman to lead the scoping study for the company’s flagship Jupiter Rare Earth Project in Western Australia.
Sedgman, together with Snowden Optiro (mining) and SRK (resource update), will develop the scoping study with a focus on converting Jupiter’s scale, demonstrated beneficiation performance, and low-risk development profile into a clear and credible pathway to development.
Critica has outlined a development pathway for Jupiter, subject to study outcomes and key approvals that includes a scoping study starting in H1 2026, Prefeasibility study in H2 2026, Definitive feasibility study in H2 2027, potential first investment decision targeted in 2029, and construction and commissioning in 2029.
CEO Jacob Deysel says that this move is “a major step forward as we shift from technical validation to defining a development pathway”.
“Jupiter is differentiated not just by its scale but by its simplicity – a clay-hosted system with demonstrated beneficiation performance that provides a strong potential for a capital-efficient project configuration and development option.”
Sedgman Managing Director Grant Fraser also says that the company’s focus “will be on delivering a practical, low-risk, and execution-ready scoping study that provides Critica with a clear pathway into subsequent feasibility stages”.
At the same time, Critica is advancing a number of technical workstream to directly inform and de-risk the development pathway for Jupiter including metallurgical testwork, pilot-scale beneficiation and closed-circuit optimisation, and planning for a targeted drill program.
Critical will be providing regular market updates as results become available and are incorporated into the scoping study framework.
Critica is focused on advancing the Jupiter mine in Western Australia, with a mine-to-magnet plan to meet surging demand for rare earth elements.
Write to Amy Rotman at Mining.com.au
Images: Critica
