oleocene.org

Arafura Rare Earths eyes $100 million in export agency funding

Reuters | August 12, 2025


Nolans rare earth project. Credit: Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility

Arafura Rare Earths has received a letter of interest from Australia’s export finance agency about potential funding for its Nolans project in the Northern Territory, which a source said would likely amount to around $100 million.

Export Finance Australia has provided a non-binding letter of interest for funding support for the project, Arafura – which is backed by billionaire Gina Rinehart – said in an exchange filing on Tuesday.

The potential funding is part of a Western push to develop rare earths supply chains with international partners outside of top producer China. Australia’s resources minister last week said the government was considering price floors to support critical minerals projects, including for rare earths.

“We will now be advancing due diligence with both of these parties,” Arafura’s CEO Darryl Cuzzubbo said.

The funding, which is yet to be decided on but is likely to be in the vicinity of $100 million, would mean that Arafura would be able to “materially close” a cornerstone equity target that is 60% of the $775 million total equity requirement, the source said.

The backing follows Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s announcement last year that Australia would provide up to A$840 million ($547.85 million) for Nolans, the first combined rare earths mine and refinery in the Northern Territory.

The project has also entered an appraisal phase for potential equity investment from Germany’s Raw Materials Fund after being referred by the country’s Interministerial Committee last month.


Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting is Arafura’s largest shareholder with an 8.57% stake, per LSEG data.

Shares of the company were down 2.4% at A$0.2 as of 0258 GMT, while the broader mining sub-index fell 0.2%.

($1 = 1.5333 Australian dollars)

Aclara Resources, Virginia Tech launch rare earth separation pilot plant

Staff Writer | August 12, 2025

Aclara Resources (TSX: ARA) has entered into a strategic partnership with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for the operation of its rare earth separation pilot plant.

The plant, currently under implementation at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, will showcase Aclara’s solvent extraction technology for producing individual high-purity light and heavy rare earth elements, the company said.

The facility is expected to produce over 99.5% pure didymium/praseodymium-neodymium (NdPr), terbium (Tb) and dysprosium (Dy) from Aclara’s sustainable Brazil-sourced feedstock—creating a supply chain for critical rare earth elements outside of China.

The Canadian rare earth developer has said its Carina deposit, located in the state of Goiás, could generate 191 tonnes a year of dysprosium and terbium, heavy rare earths used in electric vehicle manufacturing.

Aclara opened in April its semi-industrial heavy rare earth pilot plant, which it will use to test the production of dysprosium and terbium from ionic clay extracted from the Carina project.

Last month, the company formed an alliance with Stanford University to accelerate the development of AI innovations aimed at securing a sustainable supply chain for heavy rare earth elements.

The partnership unites Aclara’s proprietary separation technology with Virginia Tech’s leadership in mining and materials science to strengthen domestic access to critical minerals, advance R&D, and prepare the next generation of skilled talent, the company said in a news release.

American Rare Earths produces high-purity rare earth oxide concentrates from Halleck Creek ore

15 Aug 2025

American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR, OTCQB:ARRNF) has reported the first production of high-purity light and heavy rare earth oxide (LREO and HREO) concentrates from its Halleck Creek project in Wyoming, with purities of 96.4% and 97.1%, respectively. Both are critical feedstocks for permanent magnets, widely used in defence, clean energy and advanced technology applications.

The concentrates were produced from the project’s allanite-based ore by the University of Kentucky, in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Penn State University under the SynBREE consortium, as part of the US Department of Defense’s DARPA EMBER program, which is trialling biotechnology-based methods to separate and purify rare earth elements for critical applications including permanent magnets.

First-time production using Halleck Creek ore

This marks the first time that rare earth oxide concentrates have been produced from Halleck Creek ore. Since 2023, ARR has supplied around 840 kilograms of material from 36 drill holes for the EMBER project, testing biotechnology-based separation and purification methods.

The SynBREE consortium’s laboratory-scale flowsheet uses the Lanmodulin protein to recover rare earths from leachates, offering a potential alternative to conventional separation processes. While still in the research phase and yet to be commercially proven, the method successfully extracted rare earth element (REE) oxides from allanite minerals and could be considered alongside future processing options.

Interim CEO Joe Evers said the results were another significant milestone for the SynBREE consortium.

“These results provide a very meaningful third-party validation that light and heavy rare earths oxides can be produced from the Halleck Creek allanite-hosted ore body,” he said.

Outside current PFS scope
ARR stressed that the SynBREE work is independent of its ongoing pre-feasibility study (PFS) at Halleck Creek. The company’s wholly owned US subsidiary, Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc, is focused on developing a flowsheet using conventional mineral processing techniques, with optimisation work already under way.

While the EMBER project explores emerging bio-recovery pathways, the PFS aims to define a commercially viable process for mining and refining rare earths onsite in Wyoming, positioning Halleck Creek as a potential cornerstone of US supply chain security.

Technical process
The University of Kentucky’s process involved:

Concentrating allanite using heavy liquid separation.
Leaching with hydrochloric acid.
Removing about 98% of iron, aluminium and silica using sodium hydroxide (with about 15% REE loss in impurity removal).
Solvent extraction to separate light and heavy rare earth-rich solutions.
Precipitating oxalates and calcining to produce the oxide powders.
The team recovered about 82% of total rare earths from the leachate solution.

ARR’s Halleck Creek project is considered one of the largest known rare earth deposits in the US, strategically located in a mining-friendly jurisdiction with potential for cost-efficient open-pit mining and streamlined permitting. The company continues to advance both conventional and innovative processing pathways to meet growing domestic demand for critical minerals.

Trump Eyes First Overseas Mining Deal: US Weighs $120M Loan For Critical Minerals’ Greenland Rare Earths Project

August 15 2025

Critical Metals Corp. (CRML) has secured a letter of interest from the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) for a loan of up to $120 million to fund its Tanbreez rare earths mining project in Greenland, according to a Reuters report dated June 15.

The report referenced a letter stating that Critical Metals had satisfied the initial criteria to qualify for a $120 million loan from EXIM.

If approved, the loan would have a 15-year repayment term, longer than the company would likely have obtained through private financing.

However, the letter also noted that the project must be “well-capitalized with sufficient equity from strategic investors” to qualify for the funding. The project is expected to cost $290 million.

Tanbreez Mining Greenland operates the Tanbreez Project. Critical Metals currently holds a 42% stake, with the option to increase its ownership to 92.5%. European Lithium (7.5%) and Rimbal (50.5%) hold the remaining interests.

Earlier this month, Critical Metals said that the deep diamond drilling at Tanbreez revealed wider, high-grade mineralization. The site is home to one of the largest rare earth deposits in the world, with a 4.7 billion metric ton mineralized kakortokite unit.

This enables the company to potentially double the current Maiden Resource Estimate (MRE), raising the exploration target to 500MT of rare earth material, up from the earlier 225MT target.

Rare earth minerals have been a key flashpoint in the U.S.-China trade war. Chinese President Xi Jinping halted exports of rare earths and related magnets in response to tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

However, following trade talks in London last week, Trump announced that China has agreed to resume shipments of “full magnets and any necessary rare earths,” easing pressure on global supply chains.

The Tanbreez project could become the Trump administration’s first international investment in a mining venture.

The stock surged over 26% to $2.03 in Friday’s trading session, before paring some aftermarket trading gains.

Retail sentiment turned ‘extremely bullish’ on Stocktwits, amid ‘high’ message volumes.

CRML's Sentiment Meter and Message Volume as of 12:34 a.m. ET on June 16, 2025 | Source: Stocktwits

One user expects the stock to rise to $25 by the end of 2025.

The stock is down over 70% year-to-date as of Friday’s close.

Les terres rares Made in USA se portent bien
MP Materials, la société qui exploite la seule mine de terres rares en activité aux États-Unis a vu son chiffre d’affaires bondir de 84 % au second trimestre 2025. Il y a un mois, Apple et le Pentagone ont investi des centaines de millions de dollars dans l’entreprise minière californienne.

Julien Gouesmat le 08/08/25 latribune.fr

MP Materials, seule société à exploiter une mine de terres rares en activité aux États-Unis, a dévoilé hier des résultats trimestriels encourageants. L'entreprise a enregistré une hausse de 84 % de son chiffre d'affaires par rapport à la même période l'an dernier. La perte ajustée a reculé à 12,5 millions de dollars (contre 27 millions un an plus tôt) et l'action du groupe a bondi de 9,6 % en pré-ouverture.

Cette embellie repose sur une production record d'oxyde de néodyme-praséodyme (NdPr), en hausse de 119 % sur un an, atteignant 597 tonnes. À elle seule, cette production permettrait de fournir environ 500 000 moteurs de véhicules électriques par an. Surtout, cette production record de matière première intervient à un moment stratégique : au cours du mois d'avril, en pleine tension commerciale sino-américaine, MP Materials a cessé ses exportations vers la Chine, qui représentaient encore la majorité de ses revenus en 2024.

Chaîne de valeur intégrée

Si l'arrêt de ces exportations a d'abord été présenté comme une forme de prudence face aux droits de douane, il reflète surtout la réussite du pari de la chaîne de production Made in USA. En effet, il y a moins d'un an, les terres rares extraites de la mine de Mountain Pass par MP Materials devaient être expédiées en Chine pour être séparées et raffinées. Ces deux étapes sont essentielles avant la conception des aimants de terres rares, utilisés dans les voitures, éoliennes, drones, etc.

Mais en janvier, l'entreprise américaine jubile : sa nouvelle usine texane de Fort Worth produit les tout premiers aimants néodyme fer bore Made in USA, symbole d'un contrôle désormais quasi complet de la chaîne de valeur et d'une plus grande indépendance de l'entreprise vis-à-vis de la Chine. Résultat, le segment magnétique de l'entreprise affiche ainsi une croissance fulgurante : son chiffre d'affaires a quadruplé en trois mois, atteignant près de 20 millions de dollars, d'après les résultats annoncés hier.

Apple et le Pentagone à la rescousse

Malgré ces signes de réjouissance, l'entreprise continue de vivre sous perfusion. Les prix du marché, dictés par l'offre chinoise sont particulièrement bas et obligent l'État fédéral à soutenir son producteur stratégique. Début juillet, le Pentagone a officialisé un investissement de plus de 400 millions de dollars, qui fera de lui le premier actionnaire de MP Materials, à hauteur de 15 % du capital. Surtout, l'accord prévoit également un prix plancher de 110 dollars le kilo de néodyme-praséodyme pendant dix ans, soit près du double des prix pratiqués par la Chine.

Cette stratégie s'inscrit dans le vaste programme de réindustrialisation lancé par la deuxième administration Trump. Cette dernière multiplie les investissements dans les chaînes de valeur critiques. Quelques jours après l'annonce du Pentagone, Apple a révélé un investissement de 500 millions de dollars dans MP Materials. Une manière de sécuriser l'approvisionnement en aimants permanents, utilisés dans les iPhone et MacBook, mais aussi dans les futurs appareils de réalité augmentée.

Fort de ces nouveaux soutiens, MP Materials prévoit déjà la construction d'une seconde usine de fabrication d'aimants, qui porterait la capacité totale du groupe à 10 000 tonnes par an d'ici à 2028, avec pour objectif de répondre à la demande croissante du secteur de la défense, comme celui de l'automobile.

Un challenger surgit du Wyoming

Bien qu'il jouisse pour le moment d'un monopole aux États-Unis, la montée en puissance de MP ne se fait pas sans concurrence. Le 11 juillet, la société Ramaco Resources a inauguré la première nouvelle mine de terres rares aux États-Unis depuis plus de 70 ans, dans le Wyoming. Le site de Brook Mine pourrait produire jusqu'à 1 400 tonnes par an, selon son PDG, Randall Atkins, qui revendique la découverte inattendue d'un important gisement d'éléments lourds, jugés plus précieux que ceux produits à Mountain Pass.

Contrairement à MP, Ramaco finance son projet sur fonds propres, adossé à une activité charbonnière rentable. Le timing lui est favorable : une nouvelle loi fiscale signée par le président Trump début juillet inclut un crédit d'impôt pour les producteurs de charbon métallurgique, principale source de revenus de Ramaco. Randall Atkins ne cache pas ses ambitions : établir un indice américain des prix des terres rares et militer pour la création d'une réserve stratégique nationale, sur le modèle de la réserve pétrolière.

Il espère aussi que Washington accordera à Ramaco le même niveau de soutien que celui dont bénéficie MP Materials, même s'il affirme ne pas vouloir de participation publique directe. À ce stade, l'entreprise est déjà en contact avec le Conseil national pour la domination énergétique, créé en février par l'administration Trump, et pourrait prochainement solliciter le ministère de la Défense. MP Materials, malgré ses soutiens déjà acquis, devra désormais compter avec ce concurrent indépendant, potentiellement mieux positionné sur les terres rares lourdes et bénéficiant du soutien politique de figures républicaines influentes, comme les sénateurs John Barrasso (Rép., Wyoming), Joe Manchin (Dém., Virginie occidentale) ou Cynthia Lummis (Rép., Wyoming). Cette dernière a d'ailleurs salué l'ouverture de Brook Mine comme « une déclaration d'indépendance énergétique américaine pour le XXIe siècle ».

MP Materials to supply Apple with US-made rare earth magnets in 2027
The magnets will be sourced from MP Materials' Fort Worth, Texas facility, known as Independence.

July 16, 2025

US-based rare earth producer MP Materials has entered into a definitive, long-term agreement with tech giant Apple to supply US-manufactured, sustainable rare earth magnets.

These magnets will be produced using 100% recycled materials in a significant step in both companies’ commitment to sustainable and domestic supply chains.

The magnets will be sourced from MP Materials’ Fort Worth, Texas facility, known as Independence, using recycled rare earth feedstock processed at its Mountain Pass site in California.

MP Materials founder, chairman and CEO James Litinsky stated: “We are proud to partner with Apple to launch MP’s recycling platform and scale up our magnetics business.

“This collaboration deepens our vertical integration, strengthens supply chain resilience, and reinforces America’s industrial capacity at a pivotal moment.”

Since 2020, Apple and MP Materials have been developing advanced recycling technology to produce recycled rare earth magnets that meet Apple’s stringent performance and design criteria.

As a result of this collaboration, MP Materials will establish a commercial-scale, dedicated recycling line at the Mountain Pass facility to process a variety of materials, including magnet scrap and components from end-of-life products to be used as feedstock.

To meet the terms of the agreement with Apple and its partnership with the US Department of Defense (DoD), MP Materials will increase the capacity of its Fort Worth magnetics facility to establish neodymium magnet production lines tailored for Apple products.

The advanced equipment and technical capabilities will enable MP Materials to significantly increase its overall output.

Apple became one of the first tech companies to secure a supply agreement after China curbed exports in early 2025.

Apple will prepay MP Materials $200m for shipment of magnets to begin in 2027, as reported by Reuters.

The two companies will work together to drive technological advancements in magnet production and the recovery of materials at the end of a product’s life.

Apple CEO Tim Cook stated: “American innovation drives everything we do at Apple, and we’re proud to deepen our investment in the US economy. Rare earth materials are essential for making advanced technology, and this partnership will help strengthen the supply of these vital materials here in the United States. “We couldn’t be more excited about the future of American manufacturing, and we will continue to invest in the ingenuity, creativity and innovative spirit of the American people.”

India plans to kickstart rare earth output to cut China reliance

Bloomberg News | July 9, 2025 |

................
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the need for a reliable supply of critical minerals at the BRICS gathering in Rio de Janeiro over the weekend. “It’s important to ensure that no country uses these resources for its own selfish gain or as a weapon against others,” Modi said at the event.

The South Asian nation aims to support three to four large companies in the production of about 4,000 tons of neodymium and praseodymium-based magnets using locally-mined raw materials over a period of seven years, according to the people and a policy proposal seen by Bloomberg News.
.....................

Donald rare earth project in Australia receives final major regulatory approval
This approval will enable the project to proceed with financing arrangements before an FID.

June 26, 2025

Energy Fuels, a US-based uranium and rare earth elements (REEs) producer, has announced the final major regulatory approval for the Donald Rare Earth and Mineral Sand Project in Victoria, Australia.

This approval from the Government of Victoria allows the project to proceed with financing arrangements before a final investment decision (FID).

The Donald Project is a joint venture between Energy Fuels and Australia-based Astron, where Energy Fuels can invest A$183m ($119m) plus $17.5m in common shares to earn up to a 49% interest in the project.

The project is set to provide Energy Fuels with a long-term supply of monazite and xenotime-bearing REE mineral concentrate (REEC), which will be processed in the US at the company’s White Mesa Mill in Utah.

Expected to commence production as early as 2026, the project will supply Energy Fuels with 7,000–8,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of REEC in phase one. This will include significant quantities of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr), terbium and dysprosium oxides.

The phase two expansion will further increase production to approximately 13,000–14,000tpa of REEC.
...............................

400 millions $ au Nigeria pour la « plus grande usine de terres rares » d'Afrique, mais…

Agence Ecofin 23 juin 2025

Selon l’United States Geological Survey, le Nigeria a produit 13 000 tonnes de terres rares en 2024. Un volume modeste, par rapport aux ambitions de pays africains comme l’Angola et la Tanzanie, qui disposent de projets pouvant livrer à eux seuls deux à trois fois la production nationale nigériane.

Au Nigeria, le ministre des Mines, Dele Alake (photo), a annoncé dimanche 22 juin un investissement direct étranger de 400 millions de dollars du groupe Hasetins Commodities Ltd. Ce dernier veut développer « la plus grande usine de traitement de terres rares et de minéraux critiques d’Afrique » dans l’Etat de Nasarawa. Derrière cette ambition, des zones d’ombres persistent.

Dans un communiqué du jeudi 19 juin, Hasetins indique qu’elle va construire une usine d'une capacité de 12 000 tonnes par an, pour compléter une installation d’une capacité annuelle de 6000 tonnes actuellement en service. Cela porterait la capacité de traitement du groupe au Nigeria à 18 000 tonnes par an. Aucun détail n’est cependant disponible sur les minéraux que l’usine produira, ses sources d’approvisionnement ou son calendrier de construction. On ignore également si les 400 millions $ annoncés sont déjà mobilisés, et le ministre ne précise pas non plus si la somme proviendra d’actionnaires encore inconnus ou d’un prêt.

[....... ]

En attendant plus d’informations sur le projet mené par Hasetins, rappelons que le Nigeria héberge des réserves non estimées de terres rares. En 2020, l’United States Geological Survey (USGS) classait ainsi le pays parmi les producteurs potentiels de terres rares, sans pouvoir fournir d’estimation sur les volumes extraits. En janvier 2025, l’USGS a rapporté une production de 13 000 tonnes de terres rares pour le Nigeria en 2024, contre 7200 tonnes en 2023. Aucune information n’est en revanche disponible sur les sites de production ou la méthode d’exploitation, en l’occurrence industrielle ou artisanale.

Toutes ces inconnues n’empêchent néanmoins pas Abuja de soutenir Hasetins Commodities. Avec un potentiel minéral valorisé à 700 milliards $ et une contribution du secteur minier estimée à moins de 1 % du PIB, il faut dire que le Nigeria s’efforce ces dernières années de créer les conditions propices au développement du secteur. Des investisseurs de tous horizons ont ainsi annoncé la construction d’aciéries pour valoriser les réserves de minerai de fer, ou des usines de lithium.

« Ce projet représente plus de 10 000 nouveaux emplois, un véritable transfert de compétences et une étape importante vers le traitement de nos minéraux au niveau national. Le gouvernement fédéral est pleinement engagé dans ce projet. Nous apporterons tout le soutien institutionnel nécessaire, car des initiatives comme celle-ci nous rapprochent de nos objectifs nationaux à long terme », a rappelé le ministre Alake, à l’issue d’une audience accordée au directeur général de Hasetins, Jidayi Ijudigal.

Le Nigeria vise une contribution de 10 % des Mines au PIB d’ici 2026.

Angola : ReElement cible Longonjo pour l’approvisionnement américain en terres rares

Agence Ecofin 24 juin 2025

Avec une production initiale de 20 000 tonnes de MREC par an, Longonjo pourrait à terme devenir la première mine angolaise de terres rares. Alors que les travaux de construction ont démarré en mai, son opérateur Pensana multiplie les accords pour la vente de la production.

Dans une note publiée ce lundi 23 juin, Pensana a annoncé la signature d’un protocole d’accord avec la société américaine ReElement Technologies pour la vente de terres rares issues de son projet Longonjo en Angola. Cette entente qui porte sur la livraison annuelle de 20 000 tonnes de carbonate mixte de terres rares (MREC) sur cinq ans, vise principalement à soutenir les efforts d’approvisionnement en minéraux critiques pour répondre à la demande intérieure des USA.

« Le partenariat avec Pensana nous permet d'assurer une source fiable de MREC de haute qualité et démontre notre engagement à construire une chaîne d'approvisionnement nationale en terres rares qui réponde aux besoins croissants de l'industrie américaine » a expliqué Mark Jensen, PDG de ReElement.

Filiale de l’American Resources Corporation, ReElement est spécialisée dans le raffinage et la récupération de minéraux critiques comme le cobalt ou les terres rares. Avec ce développement, elle porte les intérêts américains pour la production de Longonjo, dans un contexte où Washington renforce de plus en plus sa position sur les minéraux critiques africains. Des initiatives comme l’accord « minerais contre sécurité » avec la République démocratique du Congo ou la présence d’acteurs américains comme KoBold Metals illustrent notamment cette tendance.

Cette offensive américaine pour Longonjo intervient toutefois après la signature de deux autres protocoles d’accord de vente avec les sociétés japonaises Hanwa et Toyota Tsusho. À l’instar de ReElement, ces deux acteurs ont signé pour l’enlèvement de 20 000 de MREC par an pour cinq ans. Ce volume de vente correspond à la production prévue lors de la première phase d’exploitation de la future mine et à la moitié des 40 000 tonnes de MREC prévues lors de la deuxième phase.

Pour l’heure, on ignore encore les objectifs poursuivis par Pensana pour la commercialisation de la production de Longonjo. La suite dépendra de la finalisation des termes contractuels des accords annoncés et du choix des partenaires commerciaux.

Torngat Metals secures $120M for Strange Lake rare earth project in Canada

Staff Writer | June 17, 2025

Torngat Metals has secured C$165 million ($120 million) in government funding for pre-construction work at its Strange Lake rare earth project straddling northern Quebec and Labrador.


Export Development Canada is supplying a C$110 million bridge loan while the Canada Infrastructure Bank is offering a C$55 million infrastructure loan, both firsts for the institutions. The financing is to advance engineering, environmental studies, permitting applications, road and infrastructure upgrades, and airstrip rehabilitation.

Torngat aims to begin construction in late 2026 and the start operations by 2028.

The announcement for the C$2 billion capex project aiming to produce roughly 15,000 tonnes per year of rare earth oxides arrives at a pivotal moment for Canada’s role in mineral supply chains, CEO Yves Leduc said on Tuesday.

“This financing comes at a critical juncture, as the Chinese monopoly of heavy rare earths drives the global permanent magnet shortage,” Leduc said in a news release. “Our partnership with these two renowned Canadian institutions will help us achieve key project milestones towards unlocking the largest supply by far of dysprosium and terbium outside China.”

Strange Lake stands out among North American rare earth projects for its heavy rare earth content, particularly dysprosium and terbium—elements critical to permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines and defence technologies. Unlike many of its peers, Torngat plans to build a rare earth separation plant at Sept-Îles, Quebec, producing finished oxides domestically rather than exporting concentrates.

Heavy producer

With more than of half Strange Lake’s output to be classed as heavy rare earths, this would make it the largest heavy rare earth producer in North America and one of the largest outside China. The company has stated that its production cost per kilogram of rare earth oxide would be competitive with global producers, though final figures will depend on engineering studies now underway.

Strange Lake’s production plans would surpass North America’s current heavy rare earth output. It places Torngat in a stronger position than other advanced projects such as Vital Metals’ (ASX: VML) Nechalacho project in the Northwest Territories, which focuses on light rare earths, and Ucore Rare Metals’ (TSXV: UCU) Bokan Mountain project in Alaska, which is smaller in scale and heavy rare earth content.

Compared to China’s state-backed operations, Strange Lake would be modest in scale but significant strategically. China currently accounts for more than 90% of global heavy rare earth production, with state-owned enterprises controlling most separation capacity. Torngat’s planned annual output could supply a meaningful portion of North American demand for dysprosium and terbium, helping reduce reliance on Chinese imports.

Indigenous engagement

The company also highlights its commitment to Indigenous partnerships and community engagement. Strange Lake’s location requires permitting and approvals in both Quebec and Labrador, as well as agreements with Indigenous governments and organizations in the region.

Torngat has stated that meaningful Indigenous equity participation and co-management of environmental monitoring will be core components of its development strategy. The company expects to submit initial permit applications later this year, following further consultation.

Torngat’s financing is notable as the first early-stage bridge loan provided by Export Development Canada to a mining project, and the first critical minerals investment by the Canada Infrastructure Bank. Both agencies have described the Strange Lake project as aligned with Canada’s critical minerals strategy and the federal goal of developing resilient, low-carbon supply chains.

Rainbow Rare Earth, Mosaic begin economic assessment on REE extraction in Brazil

Staff Writer | June 17, 2025

Rainbow Rare Earths (LON: RBW), in collaboration with Mosaic, has kicked off work on an economic assessment (EA) for the recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from the Uberaba phosphogypsum project in Brazil.

The EA, says Rainbow, is intended to allow for both parties to understand the project’s economics ahead of considering a partnership to potentially replace the current non-binding memorandum of understanding.

Rainbow Rare Earths (LON: RBW), in collaboration with Mosaic, has kicked off work on an economic assessment (EA) for the recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from the Uberaba phosphogypsum project in Brazil.


The EA, says Rainbow, is intended to allow for both parties to understand the project’s economics ahead of considering a partnership to potentially replace the current non-binding memorandum of understanding.

Mosaic, the world’s leading producer of concentrated phosphates and potash crop nutrients, is the project’s owner.

According to Rainbow, the Uberaba phosphogypsum contains valuable REEs that occur as byproducts of the phosphoric acid (phosacid) production operations on site, and its pioneering IP can be applied to recover these minerals.

The material is similar in nature to its Phalaborwa project in South Africa, as it’s based on a hard rock carbonatite phosphate deposit, which is mined to initially produce a phosphate slurry feed that is then processed into phosacid using sulphuric acid, the company said.

This process, it added, delivers phosphogypsum material that contains most of the REE present in the phosphate slurry feed.

While public data is not available on the size of the Uberaba resource, initial indications are that it could be significantly larger than Phalaborwa, Rainbow has said. In addition, Mosaic’s phosacid operations are ongoing and are based on long-life phosphate mines, meaning that new phosphogypsum is deposited on the stacks annually.

“Uberaba is an exciting project for Rainbow, given the technical similarities with Phalaborwa; however, it represents a significantly larger economic opportunity over the long-term due to the sheer scale of the planned annual feed rate and the long-term nature of the underlying phosphate deposit,” Rainbow CEO George Bennett said in a news release Tuesday.

As at Phalaborwa, the Uberaba phosphogypsum is amenable to direct acid leaching, with test work to date demonstrating that between 31% and 65% of the REEs can be readily extracted, Rainbow said on its website.

Assay work has returned grades of between 0.45% and 0.79% total rare earth oxides, with Nd/Pr being 24.5% of the rare earths basket, plus economic quantities of Dy and Tb. The average grade, which will be used in the EA, is 0.58% TREO.

EA details

Under the existing MOU, Rainbow and Mosaic have developed a process flowsheet for extracting REEs from the Uberaba stack for the EA work.

The flowsheet would receive phosphogypsum from the Uberaba phosacid process facility and treat the material for REE extraction. The chemically processed and cleaned phosphogypsum stream is then returned to Mosaic’s facility.

The EA envisages an operation processing capacity totalling 4.3 million tonnes of phosphogypsum per annum, which is around twice the annual size of Phalaborwa.

As at Phalaborwa, the EA is based on the establishment of a single hydrometallurgical plant on site, which will refine the material into separated rare earth oxides of +99% purity, Rainbow said.

The EA will be based on an initial project life of 15 years. Due to the life of mine of the underlying phosphate resource feeding the phosacid plant at Uberaba, recovery of rare earths can be expected to extend for a far longer period.

The third-party costs of $230,000 to develop the EA will be shared equally between Rainbow and Mosaic, as the companies had agreed in the MOU.

Malaysian firm to explore rare earth mining

Bloomberg News | June 18, 2025

Berjaya Land Bhd. is set to explore and develop the mining of rare earth elements and other minerals in Malaysia’s northern Perlis state.


The company, a subsidiary of Malaysian tycoon Vincent Tan-controlled Berjaya Corp., signed a memorandum of understanding with Impianan Utara Sdn. on Tuesday to undertake the project, according to a filing. They will also develop large-scale plantation of Napier hybrid grass and Blackthorn durian.

The projects will be carried out in collaboration with the state’s investment vehicle Menteri Besar Incorporated Perlis.

The move is in line with Malaysia’s ambitions to become a globally competitive and environmentally responsible player in the rare earth industry, according to the statement.

China-backed militia secures control of new rare earth mines in Myanmar

Reuters | June 13, 2025

A Chinese-backed militia is protecting new rare earth mines in eastern Myanmar, according to four people familiar with the matter, as Beijing moves to secure control of the minerals it is wielding as a bargaining chip in its trade war with Washington.


China has a near-monopoly over the processing of heavy rare earths into magnets that power critical goods like wind turbines, medical devices and electric vehicles. But Beijing is heavily reliant on Myanmar for the rare earth metals and oxides needed to produce them: the war-torn country was the source of nearly half those imports in the first four months of this year, Chinese customs data show.

Beijing’s access to fresh stockpiles of minerals like dysprosium and terbium has been throttled recently after a major mining belt in Myanmar’s north was taken over by an armed group battling the Southeast Asian country’s junta, which Beijing supports.

Now, in the hillsides of Shan state in eastern Myanmar, Chinese miners are opening new deposits for extraction, according to two of the sources, both of whom work at one of the mines. At least 100 people are working day-to-night shifts excavating hillsides and extracting minerals using chemicals, the sources said.

Two other residents of the area said they had witnessed trucks carrying material from the mines, between the towns of Mong Hsat and Mong Yun, toward the Chinese border some 200km away. Reuters identified some of the sites using imagery from commercial satellite providers Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies.

Business records across Myanmar are poorly maintained and challenging to access, and Reuters could not independently identify the ownership of the mines.

The mines operate under the protection of the United Wa State Army, according to four sources, two of whom were able to identify the uniforms of the militia members.

The UWSA, which is among the biggest armed groups in Shan state, also controls one of the world’s largest tin mines. It has long-standing commercial and military links with China, according to the US Institute of Peace, a conflict resolution non-profit.

Details of the militia’s role and the export route of the rare earths are reported by Reuters for the first time.
...........................



...........................

Critical Metals releases assay results from Tanbreez rare earth project in Greenland

Staff Writer | June 9, 2025

Critical Metals Corp. (Nasdaq: CRML) has released the first assay results from deep diamond drilling in 2007 and 2013 at the Fjord deposit, part of a large mineralized kakortokite host unit that covers approximately 5 km x 2.5 km in area, measuring several hundred metres thick and estimated at 4.7 billion tonnes.

The Fjord deposit is part of the company’s Tanbreez project in southern Greenland, considered to be one of the largest untapped heavy rare earths (HREE) deposits outside China with over 27% HREE content.

Earlier this year, Critical Metals confirmed the Tanbreez resource through the release of a technical report in compliance with Regulation S-K 1300, followed by a preliminary economic assessment estimating a net present value of $3.04 billion with an internal rate of return of 180%.

The new results comprise holes drilled through the Fjord deposit and extended below the mineral resource estimate (MRE), which assessed the eudialyte component of the kakortokite limited to the material above sea level.

According to Critical Metals, the deeper drill holes identified rare earth mineralization at similar grades within the kakortokite unit below and within the MRE.

The assays confirmed deep and highly mineralized total rare earth oxides (TREOs) for each drill hole, ranging from 0.33% to 0.51% TREOs, with a weighted average of 0.43% containing 28% heavy rare earth oxides (HREOs) hosted within the Kakortokite rock, and over the Fjord deposit for the eudialyte component MRE of 22.6 million tonnes at 0.43% TREOs including 26% HREOs.

The new results present a compelling opportunity for the company to increase the existing MRE over the Tanbreez Fjord deposit with infill and extension drilling between all historical diamond and RC drill holes, Critical Metals stated.

“I am further encouraged by the deep diamond drill hole results at Tanbreez, revealing exceptional assay results over wider and deeper mineralization,” CEO Tony Sage said in a news release.

“Tanbreez continues to yield consistent high-grade drilling results presenting the company with a compelling opportunity to significantly increase and double our current MRE with an exploration target of 500 million tonnes of rare earth material up from our previous target of 225 million tonnes,” Sage said.

“This key technical work to uncover and update historical information, strategically positions us to advance our plans for the development strategy as we deepen our understanding of the potential of this world-class asset and the material it contains.”

Exploration and in-country field crews are currently on the ground at Tanbreez organizing the forthcoming field season preparing for resource and exploration drilling, the company said, adding that it has applied to the Greenland MSLA for its 2025 resource drilling programs focusing on the Fjord and Hill Zone deposits.

Critical Metals stock closed the day up 5.8% in New York. The company has a $143 million market capitalization.