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Critical Metals says it has ‘cracked’ eudialyte hurdle, plans $2.2B a year refinery in Romania

Staff Writer | September 16, 2026

Critical Metals (Nasdaq: CRML) announced Wednesday that its patent-pending process dissolves more than 99% of eudialyte concentrate from its Tanbreez project and recovers 19 ultra-high-purity rare earth and critical metal products.


Eudialyte is a rare red or pink silicate stone used as a major industrial source for zirconium, hafnium, and heavy rare earth elements. Located at Killavaat Alannguat in southern Greenland, Tanbreez is regarded as one of the largest undeveloped heavy rare earth assets outside China.

The company said plans to run its patent-pending process at a proposed $2.2 billion-a-year refinery in Romania.

The preliminary refinery study outlines a joint venture designed to process feedstock from Tanbreez. Eudialyte ores have historically been notorious in metallurgical processing due to their tendency to dissolve into a thick, unfilterable silica gel—a hurdle Critical Metals says it “cracked” during process innovations.

The proposed CRML Romanian joint venture refinery, which is expected to receive 50% of all concentrate production under the existing term sheet, incorporates three major process innovations that are projected to enhance project economics.
The proposed CRML Romania process refinery is being designed with capacity to process up to 100,000 tons per year of eudialyte concentrate feed and based on current modelling, produce approximately 27,943 tons per year of rare earth and critical metal products in the form of chloride salts and other ultra-pure products, the company said.

Projected by-products include 25,670 tons per year of high purity SiO2 powder. Based on current modelling and assumed market pricing, projected annual revenue from the silica by-product could reach approximately $600 million, Critical Metals said.

The current preliminary CAPEX estimate is $1.85 billion, current modelling projects annual revenue of approximately $2.2 billion before operating costs, taxes and capital recovery. Current modelling indicates an NPV10 of approximately $4.5 billion, an IRR of approximately 55% and a projected payback period of approximately two years.

The silicate recovery system is projected to contribute approximately $400-600 million per year in combined value from SiO2 revenue and avoided acid costs, potentially transforming a conventional waste stream into a significant revenue contributor. Based on current modelling and pricing assumptions key value drivers include SiO2, NbCl5, DyCl3, TaCl5 and Hafnium products.

The proposed CRML Romania process pefinery uses a multistage, mixed-acid leach process operating at elevated temperatures, followed by cascading recovery steps designed to produce high-purity rare earth salts, metals and critical metal salts for advanced industrial, aerospace, technology and defense applications.
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USA Rare Earth breaks ground at $1.2B magnet manufacturing facility in South Carolina

Staff Writer | September 11, 2026


(Image: USA Rare Earth )

USA Rare Earth (Nasdaq: USAR) this week broke ground on its new rare earth metal and magnet manufacturing facility in Blacksburg, South Carolina, marking a milestone in its plan to build an integrated rare earth supply chain for the US and its allies.

Located on a 124-acre site in Bailey Industrial Park in Cherokee County, the 800,000-square-foot facility represents an approximately $1.2 billion investment and is expected to create roughly 490 manufacturing jobs upstate.

USA Rare Earth said it selected Blacksburg following a comprehensive evaluation of nearly 275 potential sites across the country, adding that South Carolina stood out for its skilled advanced manufacturing workforce, reliable power, transportation infrastructure, proximity to customers and suppliers, and strong support from state and local partners.

“Breaking ground in Blacksburg is an important moment because it moves our vision from plans on paper to infrastructure taking shape,” CEO Barbara Humpton said in a news release.

“We’re building the capabilities America needs to make critical rare earth materials and magnets at home, while making a long-term investment in the people and communities that will help us do it.”
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The Blacksburg facility will complement USA Rare Earth’s existing magnet manufacturing operation in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where it commissioned its first commercial production line earlier this year.

Together, Blacksburg and the planned expansion at Stillwater are expected to provide USA Rare Earth with 10,000 tpa of domestic neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnet manufacturing capacity.

USAR also finalized a deal in July to buy a minority stake in France’s Carester that will provide funds for expansion of a processing plant due to open later this year.

The move is part of a scramble by the US and Europe to build their own rare earths and magnet output to cut dependence on China, which controls about 90% of global processed output of the minerals vital for the energy transition, electronics and defence.

Once online, the South Carolina facility is targeting production capacity of 6,400 metric tons per annum of sintered NdFeB permanent magnets and 5,000 tpa of strip-cast metal and alloy, with commissioning targeted to begin in 2028.

Brazilian Rare Earths commissions stage one pilot plant at Camaçari
The company produced its first rare earth mineral concentrate, marking full stage one circuit operation.

Shree Mishra September 8, 2026

Brazilian Rare Earths (BRE) has commissioned its stage one metallurgical pilot plant at Camaçari in Bahia, Brazil.

The company also secured partner co-funding for the next stage of the hydrometallurgical pilot plant.

It reported production of the first rare earth mineral concentrate from the plant, marking the operation of the full stage one beneficiation circuit and initiating bulk-scale metallurgical test work.

The stage one facility uses physical beneficiation methods to concentrate rare earth minerals from ore.

According to the company, the pilot plant’s configurable circuits have enabled the testing of various feedstocks and optimisation of processing performance.

Ongoing campaigns at the plant are expected to refine concentrate grades and recoveries, generating material for downstream hydrometallurgical testing and supporting further feasibility studies.
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Malawi : l’ambition d’une production de terres rares progresse sur la mine Kasiya

Agence Ecofin 10 sept 2026

En juillet dernier, Sovereign Metals a annoncé vouloir destiner la production de la future mine de graphite et de rutile Kasiya aux États-Unis. Un choix stratégique alors que Washington cherche à diversifier ses sources de minerais critiques, notamment pour réduire sa dépendance en terres rares.

L’exploitation de terres rares, en complément du graphite et du rutile jusqu’ici prévus, franchit une nouvelle étape sur le projet Kasiya, au Malawi. Mercredi 9 septembre, son opérateur australien Sovereign Metals a publié une étude économique exploratoire consacrée à ce volet, qui évalue à environ 29 millions USD l’investissement supplémentaire nécessaire pour valoriser des ressources minérales contenant 69 000 tonnes de monazite.

D’après son étude de faisabilité définitive (DFS) publiée en avril dernier, Kasiya est appelé à devenir une mine capable de produire 222 000 tonnes de rutile et 275 000 tonnes de graphite par an sur une durée de vie initiale de 25 ans, moyennant un investissement de 727 millions USD.

Mais depuis plusieurs mois, Sovereign Metals étudie aussi la possibilité d’extraire des terres rares en tant que sous-produits. Le potentiel a en effet été identifié dans la monazite présente dans les résidus issus du traitement du minerai de graphite et de rutile.

La nouvelle étude publiée donne désormais une première traduction économique à cette possibilité. Sovereign Metals prévoit d’ajouter au schéma de développement existant un circuit dédié à la récupération et à la séparation de la monazite, ainsi que les installations nécessaires à la production d’un concentré de terres rares. Le dispositif ne nécessiterait ni nouvelle mine ni nouveau circuit de traitement en amont, ce qui limite l’investissement additionnel à environ 29 millions USD. À terme, le groupe estime pouvoir produire environ 2 626 tonnes par an de concentré de terres rares (REC) à base de monazite. Cette production générerait une valeur actuelle nette (VAN) avant impôts d’environ 722 millions USD sur plus de 23 ans. Son intégration au projet porterait ainsi la VAN totale de Kasiya à quelque 2,9 milliards USD, en incluant les activités de graphite et de rutile.

Au-delà de ces perspectives économiques, l’ajout des terres rares donne aussi une nouvelle dimension stratégique au projet malawite. Sovereign Metals a d’ailleurs rebaptisé Kasiya comme un projet de minerais critiques, afin de refléter cette diversification de la production. Le développement intervient alors que la compagnie entend faire des États-Unis et de leurs alliés stratégiques des marchés prioritaires pour les futurs produits de la mine, dans un contexte où Washington recherche de nouvelles sources d’approvisionnement en minerais critiques hors de Chine. Selon Sovereign, la production envisagée couvrirait cinq des sept terres rares soumises aux restrictions chinoises à l’exportation, dont le dysprosium, le terbium et l’yttrium.

Il reste toutefois une étape importante avant de considérer cette production comme acquise. L’étude économique exploratoire ne suffit pas, à elle seule, à établir la viabilité définitive du projet de terres rares. Ses premières estimations reposent encore sur des ressources minérales, qui devront notamment être converties en réserves afin de confirmer le potentiel économique de ce volet. Sovereign Metals prévoit donc de poursuivre les études nécessaires à son intégration dans le plan de développement définitif de Kasiya, avec une étude de préfaisabilité attendue en 2027.

Defense Metals drills 6% rare earths in BC

By Canadian Mining Journal Staff August 31, 2026


The Wicheeda camp near Prince George, B.C. Credit: Defense Metals

Resource-conversion drilling at Defense Metals’ (TSXV: DEFN) Wicheeda rare earths project in British Columbia has returned results as strong as 65 metres grading about 3% total rare earth oxides (TREO).

That interval, in hole WI26-96, from 61 metres depth included 20.3 metres at 6.1% TREO, the company reported Monday. Another highlight, in hole WI26-93, cut across the southern margin of the Wicheeda deposit, and returned 184 metres grading 1.7% TREO from 91.6 metres depth, including 57 metres at 2.5% TREO.

"We're exceptionally pleased that all eleven drill holes reported in today's news release intersected significant widths of high to moderate grade rare earth element mineralization within the pit confines defined by the 2025 preliminary feasibility study and are expected to contribute positively to a resource classification uplift,” Defense Metals’ Vice-President of Projects Robin Jones said.

Advanced project

The results bolster Wicheeda’s potential as one of Canada’s more advanced and accessible projects pursuing rare earths, essential for their use in permanent magnets, defence applications and clean energy technologies. Unlike several of the country’s largest rare earth deposits, which are in remote northern regions, Wicheeda is road-accessible and sits near power, rail and gas infrastructure, about 80 km northeast of Prince George, B.C.

Discounted at 8%, Wicheeda has an after-tax net present value of $1 billion and a post-tax internal rate of return of 19%, with initial capital costs of $1.4 billion, according to a preliminary feasibility study released in February, 2025. It could produce 31,900 tonnes annually of TREO concentrates over a 15-year life, based on proven and probable reserves of 25.4 million tonnes grading 2.43% TREO for about 617,000 tonnes of TREO.

Additional noteworthy results from the 5,345-metre program were in hole WI26-100, which cut about 149 metres grading 1.55% TREO from near surface, including 85 metres at 2.4% TREO.

Hole WI26-102 returned 73.4 metres grading 2.6% TREO from about 6 metres depth, including 34.3 metres at 3.2% TREO.

$16M backing

Defense secured $16.7 million from private placements last October and November which it plans to use for metallurgical work and for starting a feasibility study. In March, it received conditional approval for up to $1.8 million from Natural Resources Canada’s Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund.

A proposed $346.6 million Export Development Canada loan, announced last year, remains at the non-binding expression-of-interest stage.

Shares of Defense Metals fell about 3% to 15¢ apiece Monday morning in Toronto. That gave the company a market capitalization of about C$61.2 million. The stock has traded in a 12-month range of 11¢ to 43¢.

EXIM eyes up to $750 million financing for Aclara rare-earth facility

Reuters | September 4, 2026 |

Aclara Resources said on Friday the U.S. Export-Import Bank had issued a letter of interest indicating it may provide up to $750 million in financing for the miner’s planned rare-earth separation, metals and alloys facility in Louisiana.

The development comes as the U.S. seeks to strengthen domestic critical minerals supply chains and reduce its reliance on China for rare-earth processing.

Potential financing could cover up to $750 million of project costs with a repayment tenor of up to 15 years under EXIM’s Make More in America initiative, Aclara said.

Project Dynamo is planned to include rare-earth separation, metals and alloys production capabilities at the Port of Vinton, Louisiana.

The company said the facility will process rare-earth materials from its South American assets into individual rare-earth oxides, including neodymium-praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium.

Aclara is seeking to build an integrated mine-to-alloy rare-earth supply chain serving industries including electric vehicles, robotics, advanced technologies, power generation and AI infrastructure.

The company said the Louisiana facility is expected to be construction-ready by the end of 2026, adding that EXIM’s interest remains subject to approvals and does not represent a final financing commitment.

Greenland Mines closes acquisition of Sarfartoq rare earth magnet project

Staff Writer | September 2, 2026

Greenland Mines (Nasdaq: GRML) said it has closed the aquisition of the Sarfartoq project from Neo Performance Materials for $35 million., bringing the the rare earth project into its mining portfolio.


The closing follows Greenland Mines’ release of an independent Initial Assessment for Sarfartoq, which demonstrated positive project economics.

The project has an estimated pre-tax net present value (NPV) of approximately $2.05 billion and a pre-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 118.6%, including Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources.

The Initial Assessment is based entirely on the ST1 deposit, which occupies under 1% of the 191-square-kilometer Sarfartoq mineral exploration license, with five additional known rare earth occurrences along the approximately 32-kilometer outer ring structure remaining largely untested, Greenland Mines said.

The company has called the project one of the island’s “most advanced and compelling rare earth projects,” citing its high-grade nature and favorable Arctic logistics.

Located roughly 60 km from Kangerlussuaq in the southeast, the project is the site of a carbonatite-hosted deposit strongly enriched in neodymium-praseodymium, widely used to manufacture high-strength NdFeB permanent magnets.

The project carries a historic NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate and a Preliminary Economic Assessment, is supported by more than 15 years of exploration work and over 23,000 meters of drilling.

“The Sarfartoq acquisition is closed, and one of the Western world’s top-tier upstream rare earth magnet projects is now a Greenland Mines asset,” Greenland Mines president Dr. Bo Møller Stensgaard said in a news release.

“At 2025 consumption levels, the NdPr oxide we plan to produce from ST1 alone would represent roughly a third of all NdPr oxide refined outside China, in every one of the project’s nine scheduled operating years — and ST1 forms only a small part of a much larger system. Our technical team is back on the ground at Sarfartoq this month, and we move immediately from acquisition to further resource growth development.”

Greenland Mines said it intends to move directly into the next phase of Sarfartoq’s development, including targeted infill drilling, pilot-scale metallurgical test work, mine engineering planning and continued environmental and social baseline studies, advancing the project toward a pre-feasibility study.

Terres rares : comment la France s’implique dans la chaîne de valeur d’un projet au Malawi

Agence Ecofin Emiliano Tossou 03 sept 2026

La domination chinoise sur le raffinage des terres rares pousse l’Europe à diversifier ses sources et à reconstruire des capacités industrielles. Le projet Kangankunde qui doit entrer en production au Malawi fin 2026, peut s’insérer dans cette recomposition.

La France se rapproche de la chaîne de valeur construite autour de Kangankunde par l’intermédiaire du groupe Carester. La compagnie australienne Lindian Resources, propriétaire de cette future mine malawite de terres rares, a en effet annoncé jeudi 3 septembre, un accord avec le groupe français qui doit apporter sa technologie à son dispositif de transformation et dispose, en France, d’une usine appelée à recevoir certains des produits issus de cette chaîne.

Les terres rares regroupent 17 métaux devenus stratégiques pour de nombreuses technologies, notamment parce que certains d’entre eux entrent dans la fabrication d’aimants permanents utilisés dans les véhicules électriques, les éoliennes, l’électronique ou encore certaines applications de défense. C’est le cas du néodyme, du praséodyme, du dysprosium et du terbium.

Pour valoriser ces éléments, Lindian construit une chaîne passant par le Kazakhstan. Le concentré de monazite produit à Kangankunde pourra alimenter son complexe de Stepnogorsk où Carester participe à l’étude d’une unité capable de séparer 8 000 tonnes d’oxydes de terres rares par an.

Le groupe français doit y apporter sa technologie et son expertise jusqu’à la mise en service. Surtout, Carester n’intervient pas seulement comme fournisseur de technologie : un accord d’approvisionnement de dix ans prévoit que des produits de terres rares lourdes fabriqués à Stepnogorsk soient achetés par le groupe français pour alimenter Caremag, sa future usine de séparation et de recyclage située à Lacq, dans le sud-ouest de l’hexagone.

106 millions d’euros de l’État français

L’usine française donne au partenariat une dimension stratégique pour Paris. L’État a engagé 106 millions d’euros (123,2 millions $) pour soutenir Caremag, à travers des subventions, des avances remboursables et le crédit d’impôt Industrie verte. À ces fonds s’ajoutent 110 millions d’euros apportés par les japonais JOGMEC et Iwatani, portant à 216 millions d’euros les financements annoncés pour le projet. Caremag doit commencer à fonctionner à partir de 2027 et vise notamment une production annuelle d’environ 600 tonnes d’oxydes de dysprosium et de terbium, soit, selon Lindian, environ 15 % de la production mondiale.

L’investissement répond à une dépendance industrielle devenue stratégique. Paris veut reconstruire sur son territoire des capacités de séparation de terres rares, une étape de la chaîne largement dominée par la Chine, et vise d’ici 2030 une production française équivalente à 10 % de la demande mondiale de terres rares lourdes et à 25 % des besoins européens en terres rares légères. L’Union européenne poursuit la même logique : son règlement sur les matières premières critiques fixe notamment un objectif de 40 % de transformation dans l’UE et veut limiter à 65 % la dépendance envers un seul pays tiers.

Reste à déterminer jusqu’où Kangankunde alimentera effectivement cette stratégie française. L’accord d’achat signé avec Carester concerne pour l’instant des terres rares lourdes issues de matières kazakhes, tandis qu’une partie de la production malawite est déjà destinée à l’australien Iluka. Le démarrage de Kangankunde, les conclusions de l’étude de l’usine kazakhe et la mise en service de Caremag à partir de 2027 permettront de déterminer la place que le Malawi prendra dans l’approvisionnement français.

Lynas Rare Earths posts sharp rise in annual profit

Reuters | August 25, 2026 |

Australia’s Lynas Rare Earths (ASX: LYC) reported a sharp rise in annual profit on Wednesday, supported by record average selling prices of rare-earths oxide and robust demand.

The largest rare-earths producer outside China logged a net profit after tax of A$222.4 million ($159.31 million) for the year ended June 30, compared with A$8 million a year earlier.

That missed a Visible Alpha consensus estimate of A$242.5 million.

($1 = 1.3961 Australian dollars)

Alcoa starts construction on gallium plant at Wagerup refinery
The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was attended by officials from Alcoa and the governments of Australia, Japan and the US.

Shree Mishra August 25, 2026

Alcoa has commenced construction of a gallium production plant co-located at its Wagerup alumina refinery in Western Australia (WA).

The project was launched with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by representatives from Alcoa and the Australian, Japanese and US governments.

Gallium is considered a critical mineral and is in high demand for use in modern technologies.

It plays an essential part in manufacturing semiconductors and LEDs, with applications across advanced electronics, telecommunications, renewable energy systems and defence equipment.

Products such as smartphones, bluetooth devices, AI technologies and solar panels all rely on gallium components.

Australia, the US, and Japan have all classified gallium as a critical mineral.

Alcoa will lead the construction and oversee operations of the plant.

During its construction, the plant is expected to support up to 200 construction jobs in the area. Once operational, it will maintain around 20 permanent positions.

Alcoa Australia president Elsabe Muller said: “Alcoa is proud to work alongside our partners in Australia, Japan and the US to help diversify the global gallium market.

“We are grateful to have Australian federal ministers King and Ayres and Western Australian minister Michael, along with honoured guests, be part of today’s event as we showcase Western Australia’s role in delivering essential materials to the world.”

Located roughly 150km south of Perth, the Wagerup site will house the new facility.

The Wagerup alumina refinery, established in 1984, has the capacity to produce approximately 2.9 million tonnes of alumina annually.
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Greenland Mines gets mineral exploration license for Safartoq project, stock surges

Amanda Stutt | August 21, 2026

Greenland Mines (NASDAQ: GRML) said Friday that the Government of Greenland, through the Ministry of Business and Mineral Resources (Naalakkersuisut), has formally approved the indirect transfer of Mineral Exploration License covering the Sarfartoq carbonatite complex to the company. The stock surged.


The approval, granted under the Greenland Mineral Activities Act, satisfies one of the key regulatory closing conditions for the company’s acquisition of the Sarfartoq project from Neo Performance Materials for $35 million.

As part of the deal, Neo Performance will receive offtake rights on up to 60% of future ore or mineral concentrate production from Sarfartoq.

The company has called the project one of the island’s “most advanced and compelling rare earth projects,” citing its high-grade nature and favorable Arctic logistics.

Located roughly 60 km from Kangerlussuaq in the southeast, the project is the site of a carbonatite-hosted deposit strongly enriched in Neodymium-Praseodymium (Nd-Pr).

The project carries a historic NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate and a Preliminary Economic Assessment, is supported by more than 15 years of exploration work and over 23,000 meters of drilling,

A historic resource cited by the company showed that it contains roughly 27 million kg of Nd oxides and 8 million kg of Pr oxides, concentrated within one zone holding 5.88 million tonnes of indicated material grading 1.77% TREO (total rare earth oxides) and 2.46 million tonnes inferred grading 1.59% TREO.

“This approval from the Government of Greenland is a fundamental milestone for our company and for the future of Sarfartoq,” Greenland Mines president Bo Møller Stensgaard said in a news release.

“It reflects the strength of our relationships in Greenland and the confidence the Government places in our team to advance this project responsibly,” Stensgaard said. “Sarfartoq is one of the most important undeveloped neodymium-praseodymium resources in the Western world. This is a foundational step in building a genuine, Western-aligned rare earth supply chain from Greenland.”

Greenland Mines stock surged on the news, closing the day up over 22% on the NASDAQ. The company has a $31.4 million market capitalization.

Aux Etats-Unis, des terres rares extraites d'anciennes mines de charbon

AFP •22/08/2026

Dans les Appalaches, aux Etats-Unis, l'eau rougeâtre qui s'échappe d'anciennes mines de charbon est acide, chargée en métaux lourds et toxique pour l'environnement. Mais elle contient aussi des terres rares, indispensables à de nombreuses technologies et devenues un enjeu géopolitique majeur.

Elles sont utilisées pour fabriquer des aimants très résistants, employés dans les véhicules électriques, les éoliennes, mais aussi les drones ou les avions de combat.

Cette ressource stratégique est au coeur de la rivalité entre les Etats-Unis et la Chine, qui domine largement sa production et son raffinage.

Ce quasi-monopole est perçu comme un risque par Washington, qui tente de réduire sa dépendance à Pékin en cherchant de nouveaux fournisseurs et en développant une filière domestique.

Le pays ne possède qu'une seule mine de terres rares, à Mountain Pass (Californie), d'où sont principalement extraits des éléments dits "légers". Les "lourds", plus difficiles à obtenir et plus recherchés, viennent largement de l’étranger.

"Ce qui nous manque au niveau national, ce sont les matières premières", souligne Mark Gavin, vice-recteur de l'université de Virginie-Occidentale (WVU).

Des chercheurs de son université ont cependant découvert il y a une dizaine d'années que le drainage minier acide, une pollution causée par l'exploitation minière, contenait certaines de ces terres rares.

"Assainissement"

Avec des financements publics, ils ont développé une installation pilote dans une ancienne mine de charbon des Appalaches, à Mount Storm (est).

L'eau qui s'écoule de la mine est d'abord récupérée dans un bassin où des plages ocres, caractéristiques du drainage minier acide, sont visibles.

Elle est ensuite acheminée dans la petite usine à flanc de colline, où elle passe par trois piscines et subit un traitement qui permet d'éliminer les polluants et d'en extraire un concentré de terres rares.

Quand elle ressort, à l'autre bout du bâtiment, pour être rejetée dans la nature, l'eau a une couleur presque turquoise.

"Cette opération remplit deux objectifs: l'assainissement de l'environnement et la récupération de terres rares, qui constituent un sous-produit précieux", commente Lance Lin, qui dirige ce projet.

Selon le chercheur, le procédé est d'autant plus avantageux que le drainage minier acide est riche en terres rares "lourdes", déjà dissoutes naturellement, et que leur récupération ne nécessite pas de créer de nouveau chantier minier.

Le potentiel de l'installation de Mount Storm est toutefois limité: environ quatre tonnes d'oxydes de terres rares par an, dont environ 45% sont "lourdes", selon Lance Lin. Une part infime de la demande américaine.

Pour constituer une source d'approvisionnement significative, l'université envisage notamment de déployer le dispositif sur d'autres sites en agrégeant les volumes.

"Si on produisait 300 tonnes de terres rares par an à partir de drainage minier acide, on pourrait répondre à 7 à 8 % de la demande mondiale" pour certaines terres rares lourdes, assure David Hoffman, ingénieur à la WVU.

"Approvisionnement minimum"

Ingénieur et spécialiste du développement de procédés d'extraction et de raffinage des terres rares, Tommee Larochelle doute de la viabilité commerciale du projet mais estime qu'il pourrait constituer "une source de terres rares pour assurer un approvisionnement minimum à l'industrie militaire".

"Si la volonté politique et le financement sont alignés, c'est réalisable à court terme", évalue-t-il.

Une fois le concentré de terres rares extrait, il doit encore être séparé en éléments individuels puis transformé. Or, les Etats-Unis ne disposent que de capacités limitées dans ce domaine.

Pour remédier à cette difficulté, Washington soutient massivement le développement d'entreprises de séparation, de raffinage et de fabrication d'aimants.

La start-up qui accompagne le projet de la WVU a conclu cette année un accord préliminaire avec l'une de ces entreprises, REalloys, pour traiter les terres rares extraites des eaux de drainage acide.

"Même en nous associant à ce type de partenaire, nous ne résoudrons pas l'intégralité du problème", concède Mark Gavin.

"Mais nous pouvons sans aucun doute intégrer dans la chaîne d'approvisionnement une quantité significative de terres rares lourdes qui permettront de produire les aimants dont nous avons besoin au niveau national. Sommes-nous la solution? Non. Faisons-nous partie de la solution? Absolument."

Terres rares : le soutien de Washington fait avancer le projet mozambicain Monte Muambe

Agence Ecofin 21 aout 2026

L’Afrique est régulièrement présentée comme une alternative à la domination chinoise sur l’approvisionnement mondial en terres rares. Alors que ses investisseurs privés restent prudents face aux projets sur le continent, Washington multiplie les initiatives pour faire avancer certains gisements.

Le projet mozambicain de terres rares Monte Muambe va avancer vers une étude de préfaisabilité grâce au soutien des États-Unis. Son propriétaire britannique NeoTerra (anciennement Altona Rare Earths) a annoncé, jeudi 20 août, le choix de Valentine Enterprises pour piloter cette étude financée par l’US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) à hauteur de 1,875 million de dollars.

Une fois cette sélection validée par l’agence américaine, Valentine Enterprises travaillera avec SGS North America, chargé notamment des essais métallurgiques et de l’ingénierie des procédés, ainsi qu’avec New Dominion Consulting, spécialisé dans les chaînes d’approvisionnement, les achats et les opérations. L’étude devrait commencer le mois prochain par une réunion de lancement et une visite du site, avant une courte campagne de forage destinée à récupérer des échantillons pour les essais métallurgiques. Cette étape vise à permettre à NeoTerra de mieux préciser les paramètres techniques et économiques de Monte Muambe avant d’envisager les phases suivantes de son développement.

Les capitaux publics en éclaireurs des investisseurs privés

Le soutien de l’USTDA au Mozambique s’inscrit dans une stratégie américaine plus large visant à développer des chaînes d’approvisionnement en minéraux critiques moins dépendantes de la Chine. Selon Reuters, l’International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) a déjà engagé 62,8 millions de dollars dans des projets de terres rares au Malawi, en Angola, à Madagascar et en Afrique du Sud. Des responsables de la DFC reconnaissent néanmoins que le capital privé reste largement absent. Les financements publics peuvent donc être perçus comme un moyen d’amener certains projets à un stade avancé en vue d’attirer les investisseurs.

Washington peut contribuer à réduire une partie des incertitudes techniques, mais il ne garantit pas la construction d’une mine ni la disponibilité de débouchés pour écouler la production. Une fois l’étude de préfaisabilité validée, plusieurs chantiers attendent donc NeoTerra, y compris le financement d’une étude de faisabilité définitive, la recherche de capitaux pour construire une éventuelle mine et des accords de ventes des volumes extraits ensuite.

Updated feasibility study gives NioCorp’s Elk Creek critical minerals project a $4B valuation

Staff Writer | August 11, 2026


Elk Creek project site in Nebraska. Credit: NioCorp

NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB) released on Tuesday the results of an updated feasibility study for its Elk Creek critical minerals project in southeastern Nebraska.

he study outlines the project’s evolution into a 40-year, integrated U.S. operation with a net present value (NPV) exceeding $4 billion that is expected to produce eight critical-mineral products from a single ore body, the company said.

The 2026 feasibility study estimates a pre-tax net present value at an 8% discount of $4.1 billion, an after-tax NPV8% of $3.4 billion, a pre-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 24% and an after-tax IRR of 22.8%.


Over the projected mine life, the Elk Creek project is projected to generate approximately $37.4 billion in life-of-mine revenue, $608 million in average annual EBITDA2, and $519 million in average annual operating cash flow.

The Elk Creek project is expected to produce eight products, all designated by the US Government as critical minerals: ferroniobium scandium trioxide, titanium tetrachloride, and several rare earth oxide products, including neodymium-praseodymium oxide, dysprosium oxide and terbium oxide, samarium-europium-gadolinium carbonate, and heavy rare earth carbonate.

This expanded product suite positions the Elk Creek Project to serve multiple US critical-mineral and defense supply chains from an integrated mine and processing facility that has secured its major construction-related permits, NioCorp said.

“Our 2026 feasibility study transforms the Elk Creek project into the kind of critical minerals project the United States needs to have online as soon as possible,” NioCorp CEO Mark A. Smith said in a news release.

“Few critical minerals projects in the U.S. can match the Elk Creek Project’s combination of a 40-year mine life, all major construction-related permits already in hand, and the planned production of eight critical mineral products from a single ore body.”

“The United States is heavily reliant on imports for every single one of the products that NioCorp plans to manufacture,” Smith said. “NioCorp offers an American-made solution: secure, long-term domestic production of materials essential to national defense, advanced manufacturing, energy resilience, and the technologies that will power the U.S. economy for decades to come.”

NioCorp’s stock closed the day down 1.6% on the NASDAQ. The company has a $780.3 million market capitalization.

Hades licence win puts Germany on rare earth map

Cecilia Jamasmie | August 4, 2026

Startup Hades has secured an exploration licence for the Storkwitz rare earth project in eastern Germany, giving Europe’s largest economy access to one of its few domestic rare earth deposits as the region races to secure supplies of critical minerals.


The Saxon Mining Authority granted the licence on July 31, allowing the Munich-based company to explore a 28.4-sq.-km area near Delitzsch in northern Saxony. Historical surveys suggest the property hosts about 38,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides and 8,000 tonnes of niobium pentoxide, although Hades has yet to define a resource under internationally recognized reporting standards.

Rare earth elements are essential for permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, defence systems and electronics. Europe remains heavily dependent on imports, particularly from China, making domestic projects increasingly important as governments seek to diversify supply chains.


“Germany now has its own rare earth project — one of only a few in Europe,” chief executive Max Werner said in an emailed statement. “The licence is a milestone for Hades on a clear path from pre-seed and seed capital to a concrete, licensed resource.”

The project adds to a small but growing pipeline of European critical minerals developments aimed at supporting the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act and reducing the bloc’s exposure to geopolitical supply risks.

Lower-impact mining

Hades said it plans to evaluate the deposit using its proprietary Cerberus laser drilling technology, which it says can reduce drilling costs by more than 50% compared with conventional methods. The company also intends to assess in-situ recovery, a technique that extracts minerals using injected fluids rather than conventional open-pit mining, reducing surface disturbance if geological conditions prove suitable.

The company, founded just last year, said it has already raised €20 million ($23 million) in two venture capital financing rounds. Hades aims to build a vertically integrated business spanning exploration, development and production of critical raw materials in Europe.