It seems like the topic of rare earth elements has been buzzing at its peak for a while now. While some of that conversation has come from the government via regulatory chatter and the “we-said, they-said” of what the future supply chain will look like – and cost – the tone has changed significantly in the past several months following news of advancements at REE sites as well as supporting infrastructure domestically.
At the forefront of the rare earth tête-à-tête is the recent groundbreaking at the Brook mine in Wyoming, a project owned by Ramaco Resources. NAM was there; check out David Jones’ coverage of the ceremony beginning on page 20.
Over the last quarter century, he noted, China built a near-monopoly on the flow of REEs globally. In the late 2000s, it was responsible for over 90% of all mined rare earth elements. U.S. and Australian efforts have reduced that to about 60%, but a caveat: the actual processing of those elements still happens overwhelmingly in China [at] roughly 90% of…global supply.
With the Brook mine, that could change the face of the entire outlook, as the operation could easily satisfy the nation’s demand for rare earths. Imagine what could be done as others join the pack?
Case in point: another western U.S. miner, MP Materials, has entered a definitive, long-term agreement to supply Apple with domestically manufactured rare earth magnets entirely from recycled materials, supporting American manufacturing and circular supply chains.
Under the agreement, MP will supply the tech giant with magnets produced at its Fort Worth, Texas, facility using recycled rare earth feedstock processed at MP’s Mountain Pass site in California. The feedstock will be sourced from post-industrial and end-of-life magnets, marking a major milestone in both companies’ long-standing efforts to create sustainable, domestic supplychains.
Magnet shipments are set to begin in 2027 and will ramp up to support hundreds of millions of Apple devices. MP Materials and Apple will also collaborate to accelerate tech advancements in magnet production and end-of-life recovery.
Aclara Resources announced a strategic collaboration between its U.S.-based subsidiary Aclara Technologies and Stanford University to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) innovations to secure a resilient, sustainable supply chain for heavy rare earth elements (HREE).
The agreement establishes the foundation for a strong academic and technological alliance, leveraging advanced AI solutions to optimize the HREE supply chain from exploration to processing to supply chain integration. Among its targets are the joint development of AI-powered predictive models to better understand and target REE mineralization in regolith and ionic clays, and innovation opportunities in sustainable exploration, traceability, and the responsible development of REE supply chains. There is certainly no shortage of opportunities as the sun continues to rise over the rare earth horizon. It’s exciting to see where we’re already headed, as well as where the journey could take the industry long-term.
Donna Schmidt
Editor, North American Mining magazine
[email protected]
X: @Dschmidt_NAM