Toronto-listed rare earths miner Great Western Minerals Group (GWMG) said it is ready to offer to consumers the precious elements by mid-2013 as it had started the refurbishment of its previously producing rare-earths mine Steenkampskraal in South Africa's Northern Cape province.

GWMG said it currently is in the process of handing the contract for the next phase of underground mining preparations, of which it expects to be completed in two months.

A former high-grade producer of rare-earth metals, the Steenkampskraal monazite mine was closed when rare earths consumers turned to China for its cheaper-priced precious elements.

But while refurbishing the mine, GWMG said it continued its drilling programme. Additional assay results on the property pointed to a higher distribution of neodymium, dysprosium and terbium.

The company will likewise build a mixed chloride production plant as well as a rare earth solvent extraction separation plant to aid the production of the Steenkampskraal monazite mine.

The Steenkampskraal monazite mine is one of 11 major rare earth projects outside of China that is closely being monitored by the world.

The other 10 include the Mountain Pass site by Molycorp, Mount Weld site by Lynas Corp., Nolans Bore site by Arafura Resources Ltd., Dubbo Zirconia site by Alkane Resources Ltd., Dong Pao site by Toyota Tsusho Corp. and Sojitz Corp., the Bear Lodge site by Rare Element Resources Ltd., the Zandkopsdrift site by Frontier Rare Earths Ltd., the Nechalacho site by Avalon Rare Metals Inc., the Kvanefjeld site by Greenland Minerals & Energy Ltd., and the Hoidas Lake site also by GWMG.