St George Mining Limited (ASX: SGQ) (“St George” or “the Company”) has appointed Ms Carla Grasso as Principal Geologist to its in-country team at the advanced Araxá Rare Earths-Niobium Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The appointment follows last week’s major resource upgrade and signals a clear shift from exploration into the early stages of mine planning and economic study.
A Geologist Who Already Knows the Ground
Ms Grasso brings over 21 years of experience in resource geology and mining operations within Brazil. Her professional history includes 15 years at the Araxá phosphate mine, located adjacent to St George’s Project in the Barreiro Carbonatite. She served as a Geologist Specialist at The Mosaic Company from 2018 to 2026 and held various roles at Vale from 2010 to 2018.
Figure 1: Google satellite image of the Barreiro Carbonatite showing the operations of CBMM and Mosaic as well as the mining tenure of St George (red area) and the newly acquired project land that is suitable for a future industrial area.
Ms Grasso holds a PhD in Geology with a focus on geometallurgy and mineralisation controls from the University of Brasília. She also earned an MSc in Geology from the same institution and a BSc in Geology from the University of São Paulo. Her credentials include status as a Qualified Person (QP) under AusIMM and CBRR.
Based in the City of Araxá, she will be responsible for:
- Preparation and estimation of mineral resource models, with reporting and sign-off as a Competent Person under JORC guidelines
- Coordination of geo-metallurgical activities, including sampling plans and budgets
- Review and interpretation of geo-metallurgical results and preparation of technical reports
- Short and long-term mine planning
What John Prineas Said
John Prineas, Executive Chairman of St George Mining, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Carla Grasso to our Brazilian team as we build momentum for the potential development of a mining operation at the Araxá Project.”
“Carla is an exceptional addition to our highly experienced Brazilian team. Her knowledge of carbonatite mineralisation, especially at the Barreiro Carbonatite, and vast experience in short and long-term mine planning will be invaluable as we unlock the huge potential of Araxá.”
“Carla joins St George at a pivotal time — with a Tier 1 mineral resource announced last week and a clear opportunity to significantly advance development studies to establish St George as a globally significant player in rare earths and niobium and further create substantial shareholder value.”
The Resource Behind the Appointment
St George Mining makes this appointment following the major resource upgrade on 3rd March 2026 that increased the Araxá Project resource to 70.91Mt.
Figure 2: The updated JORC 2012 Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) and additional niobium tonnage report. [St George Mining]
The total Nb₂O₅ inventory across both tables reaches 95.47 million tonnes, placing Araxá among the world’s largest undeveloped niobium and rare earth deposits. Mineralisation starts at the surface, and the Project sits adjacent to CBMM’s globally recognised niobium operations.
Figure 3: A side-by-side bar chart comparing the previous MRE with the updated figures
Why Mine Planning Expertise Matters Now
Hiring a mine-planning specialist to work on-site is a step that companies typically take when they are ready to move beyond resource definition into the technical and economic work needed before a development decision. For Araxá, Ms Grasso’s responsibilities include reserve estimation, grade control, pit optimisation, and geometallurgical assessment, all of which feed directly into a Pre-Feasibility or Feasibility Study.
The appointment also reflects something less obvious: having someone who spent 15 years on the adjacent Mosaic phosphate mine means the Company has access to deep institutional knowledge of how the Barreiro Carbonatite behaves underground, how it is mined, and how its mineralogy responds to processing. That kind of site-specific understanding is not readily available, particularly in a carbonatite setting.
Market Context: Rare Earths and Niobium in Demand
The broader market backdrop adds weight to this appointment. The rare earth oxides market is forecast to grow from US$6.2 billion in 2024 to US$18.2 billion by 2034, at a compound annual growth rate of 12.6%, driven by demand in electric vehicles, clean energy, defence, and electronics.
Niobium, meanwhile, is seeing growing use beyond its traditional role in high-strength steel. Industry leaders, including CBMM and Toshiba, are actively developing niobium-based next-generation battery systems. The niobium market is projected to grow from 79.68 kilotons in 2025 to 103.18 kilotons by 2031, a CAGR of 4.4%.
St George’s Araxá Project is located in Minas Gerais, a region with established niobium production infrastructure, a skilled local workforce, government support for expedited approvals, and access to renewable power, factors that lower development risk.
Figure 4: Projected niobium market volume growth [Mordor Intelligence]
Investor’s Outlook
St George Mining Limited (ASX: SGQ) shares are trading at approximately $0.135 per share as of 10 March 2026, with a 52-week range of $0.015 to $0.180 per share. The Company’s market capitalisation stands at approximately $476.83 million.
Figure 5: SGQ Price chart [ASX]
The appointment of Ms Grasso follows a period of consistent operational progress at Araxá, including the commencement of a major drill campaign and the March 2026 resource upgrade which have moved the Company closer to a development decision on what is shaping up as a globally significant critical minerals Project. These significant achievements supported a successful $72.5 million institutional-led capital raise in October 2025, which resulted in Hancock Prospecting (Ms Gina Reinhart) becoming the largest shareholder of St George.
