Mined in Brazil and processed in the United States: Ucore Metals and Meteoric signed a supply agreement.
America’s value chain for rare earths continues to take shape. Meteoric Resources, which is developing the Caldeira project in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, wants to have its raw materials processed in the United States. A letter of intent has been signed with the Canadian company Ucore Rare Metals, which plans to construct a processing plant in Louisiana that uses a self-developed separation method.
As soon as both parties have started production, at least 3,000 tons of total rare earth oxide from the Caldeira project will be delivered to Ucore each year, according to the agreement (PDF). The plant in Louisiana is expected to start operations in the fourth quarter of 2025, with commercial operations scheduled to begin in the first half of 2026. Meteoric expects to receive the construction permit by the end of 2025 and plans to produce mixed rare earth carbonate in the second half of 2027. According to the companies, the material supplied each year will contain neodymium and praseodymium as well as the coveted heavy rare earths terbium and dysprosium, which have so far primarily been mined in China and Myanmar.
Ucore and Meteoric Already Involved in Supply Chains Outside China
For both players, these are not the first steps towards establishing alternative supply chains without market leader China. Ucore, which receives support for its projects from the U.S. Department of Defense and the Canadian government, wants to cooperate with the rare earth recycler Cyclic Materials, which is also based in Canada. In addition, Ucore is developing the Bokan Mountain deposit in Alaska, which, like the Caldeira project, is believed to contain heavy rare earths.
Meteoric’s raw material is to be processed not only in the U.S. but also in Europe (we reported) and could eventually be processed into permanent magnets for technologies such as electromobility and wind power in Latin America.
More on the topic: Mine to magnet from South to North America – the Chilean mining group Aclara Resources and the German magnet manufacturer Vacuumschmelze, which is building a plant in the U.S., also want to collaborate.
Photo: Tom Fisk via Canva