Rare earth prices steady but downward room remains

US rare earth producer Energy Fuels announced that its White Mesa mill in Utah has successfully produced its first batch of terbium oxide with a purity of 99.9. This marks the first time in decades that the US has produced this heavy rare earth element from primary mineral raw materials, using monazite mined in Florida and Georgia. The company had previously trial-produced dysprosium oxide at the facility and is expected to expand heavy rare earth capacity in the coming years. It is estimated that upon completion of the second-phase expansion in 2029, the White Mesa mill will have the annual capacity to produce dysprosium oxide (288 mt), terbium oxide (80 mt), and Pr-Nd oxide (6,000 mt), supporting the development of a domestic rare earth supply chain in the US.

Australia's Lynas Rare Earths announced that it intends to supply rare earth oxides to the rare earth metal plant being built by South Korea's LS Eco Energy in Vietnam, with priority given to samarium production. If the cooperation is ultimately finalized, Lynas will use this to expand its product lines of Pr-Nd alloy and heavy rare earth products such as samarium, dysprosium, and terbium. Lynas is currently the only commercial producer outside China capable of separating samarium, terbium, and dysprosium. The preliminary agreement between the two parties also involves each subscribing to convertible bonds worth about AUD 30 million.

[SMM Rare Earth Price Flash] As of now, the quoted price of cerium oxide in Sichuan has been raised to 15,000 yuan/mt. Major cerium metal producers in Inner Mongolia have raised their quotations to 35,000-35,500 yuan/mt, while some smaller producers quoted 34,500-35,000 yuan/mt, and the lowest quotation in Sichuan was 35,000 yuan/mt.