Department of Commerce will conduct a study on the most suitable location within the U.S.
Chilean mining company Aclara Resources announced Wednesday that the United States Department of Commerce will support the company in finding a suitable location for its planned rare earth separation plant. The Department’s International Trade Administration will conduct a study regarding financial incentives, infrastructure, permitting and regulatory environment, and other criteria to find the optimal location within the U.S.
Aclara is developing so-called ion-adsorption clay rare earth projects in Chile and Brazil. These deposits contain higher concentrations of heavy rare earth elements compared to other types of deposits. However, they are currently only mined in China and neighboring Myanmar. Heavy rare earths increase the performance of magnets and are indispensable for state-of-the-art permanent magnets used in fields like electric vehicles or wind turbines.
In April, Aclara unveiled plans to construct a rare earth separation plant in the U.S. to vertically integrate downstream processing of the rare earth value chain. The company seeks to process the material mined in South America in North America. Additionally, Aclara signed a strategic partnership in July with German magnet maker Vacuumschmelze, which is building a production facility in the U.S. A possible supply agreement could finalize a mine-to-magnet value chain from South to North America.
Photo: TRADIUM GmbH
