New production line to support Europe’s magnet manufacturers.
Chemical company Solvay announced on Tuesday the commencement of commercial production of Neodymium-Praseodymium (NdPr) at its La Rochelle facility in France. NdPr is a crucial precursor for producing permanent magnets, which are widely used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and other high-tech applications. Previously, the La Rochelle plant primarily produced rare earth products for catalyst applications. In 2022, the company revealed plans to broaden the plant’s product range to include additional rare earth materials.
The move aligns with Europe’s goals under the Critical Raw Materials Act, which aims to boost domestic production, refining, and recycling of critical minerals. The company has estimated that by 2030, it could supply around 30 percent of Europe’s demand for NdPr and aims to source 30 percent of its raw materials locally (we reported). With this expansion, Solvay’s La Rochelle plant has become, according to the company, the largest facility outside of China capable of separating all rare earth materials.
The announcement comes just days after China, the global leader in rare earth production, imposed export restrictions on seven rare earth elements. Notably, Neodymium and Praseodymium have not been included in these restrictions so far.
Photo: TRADIUM GmbH
