U.S. Department of Defense engagement highlights the importance of critical mineral supply.
Ucore Rare Metals has secured $18.4 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to advance its rare earth separation technology toward full-scale commercial operation in Louisiana. This latest round of funding expands on the Canadian company’s existing demonstration project with the DoD and will support the transition to commercial-scale production. Construction and early production are slated to begin in the second half of 2026, with the facility ultimately targeting an annual processing capacity of 2,000 tons of total rare earth oxides (TREO). Ucore aims to produce a wide array of rare earth elements, including neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, terbium, samarium, and gadolinium, some of which are currently bound to export controls by the world’s leading producer, China.
The DoD funding comes as Ucore builds its rare earth supply network. Over the past year, the company has signed multiple agreements to secure feedstock for its Louisiana facility, including a Memorandum of Understanding with Australia’s ABx for rare earth carbonate from Tasmania, and a deal with Canadian recycler Cyclic Materials for mixed recycled rare earth oxides. Ucore has also locked in future supply from Meteoric Resources’ project in Brazil.
Ucore aims to establish a North American rare earth value chain through this supply network, reducing reliance on foreign sources and boosting the region’s ability to compete globally. “This funding is a critical step for both Ucore’s commercial development and the broader Western rare earth processing capability,” said CEO Pat Ryan.
Image: Montage via Canva Rawmaterials.net