Existing site to be expanded – long-term offtake agreement signed.
Australian critical minerals company Lindian Resources recently acquired (PDF) a rare earth processing facility in Stepnogorsk, Kazakhstan. The site was previously used by Kazakh uranium producer Kazatomprom and Japanese trading house Sumitomo to produce mixed rare earth carbonate from uranium processing residues. Lindian plans to restart operations in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Together with French rare earth specialist Carester, Lindian now also plans to expand the facility (PDF) to enable the separation of individual rare earth oxides. Carester will supply the technology, while a feasibility study is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. The planned product range includes high-purity neodymium-praseodymium oxide for magnet production and a heavy rare earth carbonate blend. The plant is designed for a nameplate capacity of 8,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides (REO) per year. Lindian has not yet provided a commissioning date for the new facility.
Offtake Agreement and Right of First Refusal
Carester will initially purchase 70% of the heavy rare earth carbonate blend produced at the new separation plant for a period of ten years. The amount paid will be linked to the realised prices for the rare earth oxides recovered from the material, with any government-backed price floors also taken into account. The material will be further processed at Carester’s refinery currently under construction in France. Carester will also receive a right of first refusal over 70% of the mixed rare earth carbonate produced at the existing Stepnogorsk facility.
Feedstock for both facilities will include material from Lindian’s rare earth deposit in Malawi. Heavy rare earth production will also draw on stockpiles in Kazakhstan. The Central Asian country holds large deposits of these critical raw materials and aims to derive significantly greater value from its resource wealth by investing heavily in exploration.
More on the topic: Just days ago, Carester also entered into a partnership with Canadian company Neo Performance Materials, which separates rare earths and manufactures permanent magnets in Estonia.
Photo: sketchify, Warisan Kreatif via Canva, Montage Rohstoff.net
