Critical Metals invests in Arctic-ready infrastructure for the storage and processing of rare earth elements.
The U.S. mining company Critical Metals Corp. is advancing development of the Tanbreez rare earth deposit in Greenland. The company has now given the green light for the construction of a local pilot facility designed to store and pre-process material from future mining operations. Start-up of the pilot plant is scheduled for no later than May of this year. Located in Qaqortoq, just a few kilometers from the mine site, the facility has been specifically engineered to withstand the harsh Arctic climate, according to CEO Tony Sage. Critical Metals considers the project a key milestone for its flagship Tanbreez asset. Only about a month ago, the company also announced plans to process part of the extracted material in Romania, underscoring its strategy to build an international value chain.
Tanbreez is regarded as one of the largest known rare earth deposits worldwide. The proportion of heavy rare earth elements, including terbium and dysprosium, both considered particularly critical due to supply constraints, is estimated at at least 25 percent. Compared with other Greenlandic deposits, Tanbreez is also said to contain lower levels of radioactive material. Geological studies further indicate the presence of significant quantities of zirconium, niobium, gallium, and hafnium. However, some analysts remain skeptical about the project’s economic viability. The primary host mineral, eudialyte, contains relatively low overall concentrations of rare earth elements, making extraction technically complex and potentially cost-intensive.
Greenland has recently returned to the international spotlight following renewed comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, who once again highlighted the island’s resources and geopolitical importance. We explore the opportunities and risks of mineral extraction in Greenland in greater depth in a separate background analysis.
Photo: iStock/Vadim_Nefedov