Abstract
Defense Metals Corporation (Defense) is the owner of the Wicheeda Rare Earth Project in British Columbia, Canada. Defense completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) in 2022 [1], a Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) in 2025 [2] and has commenced additional work programs in preparation for a Feasibility Study (FS) to be completed during 2026-2027. The Wicheeda project provides a useful example of the many parallel streams of activity required to advance a mineral project to production – besides metallurgical work.
This paper presents a high-level overview of the technical, environmental, infrastructure, financial, and social dimensions of the project, with emphasis on the proposition that metallurgical testwork and process design, while essential, represent only one component of a highly complex and resource-intensive development program. The time commitments and costs associated with each workstream are significant, often individually exceeding the metallurgical effort, and must be integrated within a coherent development schedule if commissioning targets are to be achieved.