Lynas Rare Earths Limited, formerly Lynas Corporation, announced that it has reached an agreement with the United States Government to build a commercial light rare earths separation plant in Texas.
Under the agreement, the US Government, through the Department of Defense, will provide up to US$30 million in funding for the project, with Lynas also expected to contribute approximately US$30 million.
Rare earth materials are critical inputs to many industrial supply chains, including electric vehicles, electronics and several defence applications.
Lynas is the only producer of scale of separated rare earths outside of China and the second largest in the world.
Once completed, the project is expected to produce approximately 5,000 tonnes per annum of Rare Earths products, including approximately 1,250 tonnes per annum of neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr).
Lynas CEO and Managing Director Amanda Lacaze, said the company was delighted by the opportunity to develop a light rare earths separation facility in the US.
“This agreement is consistent with the US Government’s commitment to rebuild the domestic industrial base, while working effectively with partner nations,” Ms Lacaze continued.
The Texas plant will ensure the US has a secure domestic source of high quality separated rare earth materials.
This secure supply will provide the essential foundation for the renewal of downstream specialty metal making and permanent magnet manufacturing in North America.”
[…] Lynas said the new process has been tested at bench scale and has proven effective in producing a higher purity rare earth carbonate that can feed the Lynas Malaysia plant as well as the proposed US rare earth processing facility. […]