USAR Launches Heavy Rare Earth Hydrometallurgy Plant in Colorado, Aims for Q3 2026 Oxide Production

Energy Transition Minerals has discovered a new 1.8 km-long target in southern Greenland, with characteristics similar to the Kvanefjeld rare earth deposit but with uranium content below the prohibition threshold of 0.01% set by the Greenland government. Last year, the company identified 10 new targets within the Kvanefjeld license area, where rock chip sampling returned total rare earth oxide (TREO) grades of up to 3.97%, with high dysprosium and terbium contents. As climate change reduces permanent snow and ice cover, making previously inaccessible areas reachable, the company has also delineated a new-type volcanic rhyolite anomaly that differs from conventional fenite alteration targets. Energy Transition Minerals is currently seeking to renew the Kvanefjeld license.

Backed by mining magnate Gina Rinehart, rare earth and niobium company St George Mining, with a market capitalisation of A$435 million, has launched a new funding round to advance drilling and exploration at its core projects in Brazil. The placement issues new shares to institutional investors at A$0.10 per share, a 9.1% discount to the previous trading day’s closing price. Joint lead managers Canaccord Genuity and Jett Capital Advisers are soliciting bids from Asia-Pacific investors, with the offer closing at 7 p.m. Monday. The placement has a base raising target of A$50 million, with the underwriters reserving A$10 million in oversubscription capacity; the raising is not underwritten. Funds will be used for development and exploration at the company’s Araxa project in Minas Gerais, Brazil, which the company describes as the second-highest-grade rare earth deposit in the Western world.

Based on newly acquired geological information, Origen has applied for an additional 7,865 hectares of mining rights in the state of Piauí, northeastern Brazil. The new mining rights blocks cover known mineral occurrences and/or favorable geological areas that may host REE. Upon approval, Origen will control a total of over 76,000 hectares of exploration rights in the states of Bahia and Piauí. The company has initiated the permitting process to conduct airborne surveys over its northernmost mining rights block. Airborne radiometric surveying is recognized as a key tool for identifying potential REE horizons in the region. The fixed-wing aircraft survey, totaling 2,695 line-kilometers, will serve as a cornerstone for discovering concealed targets and advancing further exploration. Origen has contracted Aero Cientifica, Servicos Aereos Especializados of Rio de Janeiro to execute the survey.