French, Malaysian Firms Team Up on Rare Earths Separation Plant, Mining

Published: Jan 30, 2026 10:11

Save

French rare earths specialist Caresterand Malaysian miner Malaco Mining Group have teamed up to work on a rare earths separation plant, and will also collaborate on rare earth mining,an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron said in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
The cooperation agreement on the separation plant project, which is ir its"pilot stage",will include technology transfers to Malaco as well as
expertise to ensure environmental compliance,said Benjamin Gallezot,an adviser on strategic minerals,after meeting with Malaysian government officials.
Western countries are trying to develop sources of rare earths,used in electric vehicles,smartphones and other high-tech products,to reduce reliance on China,the world's largest rare earths producer.
Malaysia is looking to foreign partners to help develop its domestic rareearths industry.The country has an estimated 16.1 million tonnes of rare earths deposits but lacks the technological capacity to mine and process them.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

12 hours ago

Pr-Nd Oxide and Alloy Prices Surge Amid Multiple Factors

[SMM Rare Earth Flash] Affected by multiple factors, Pr-Nd oxide prices and Pr-Nd alloy prices surged sharply today. Pr-Nd oxide closed at 750,000-755,000 yuan, up 27,500 yuan/mt from the previous day, while Pr-Nd alloy closed at 900,000-920,000 yuan/mt, up 22,500 yuan/mt from the previous day. As of now, SMM had not learned of any transactions concluded at these prices and would continue to follow up on frontline market conditions.

12 hours ago

Apr 2, 2026 18:08

Rare Earth Prices Surge: Neodymium Praseodymium Oxide and Gadolinium Iron See Increased Transactions

[SMM Rare Earth Price Flash] As of now, driven by the rise in futures prices, neodymium praseodymium oxide has seen small-volume transactions by some traders at 730,000-740,000 yuan/mt. Driven by rising raw material prices, coupled with tender procurement of Pr-Nd alloy by major magnetic material plants, metal quotations were also raised to 900,000 yuan/mt, with actual transactions following up. The latest market quotation for gadolinium oxide was 230,000 yuan/mt, and quotations for gadolinium iron were also raised to 215,000-220,000 yuan/mt, driven by downstream tender procurement.

Apr 2, 2026 18:08

Apr 2, 2026 16:11

Rare Earth Prices Hold Up Well, and Market Inquiry Activity Increases [SMM Rare Earth Weekly Review]

[SMM Rare Earth Weekly Review: Rare Earth Prices Hold Up Well, and Market Inquiry Activity Increases] The Pr-Nd oxide market as a whole continued to hold up well. Under the impact of expectations of tighter supply and pronounced fluctuations in futures prices, upstream suppliers kept raising their offers, while low-priced cargoes tightened rapidly, pushing Pr-Nd oxide prices up to 722,000-728,000 yuan/mt.

Apr 2, 2026 16:11