Lynas' Texas Rare Earth Plant Plan Stalled Over Wastewater Permit Issues

Published: Nov 28, 2025 18:01

Save

Lynas Rare Earths of Australia is unlikely to proceed with its plan to build a rare earth processing plant in Texas due to unresolved wastewater disposal permit issues. At the annual shareholders' meeting on November 26, Chairman John Humphrey stated that no progress had been made on the matter in recent months, and the project, with an annual capacity of 2,500–3,000 mt of heavy rare earth and 5,000 mt of light rare earth, is not expected to move forward. As early as April, Lynas warned that project costs could rise due to water treatment challenges. Then in October, the company expressed significant uncertainty about the project's progress. In 2023, the US Department of Defense agreed to provide up to $258 million in funding to support Lynas's Texas plant plan. The company intends to base its operations on raw materials from its existing light and heavy rare earth plant in Malaysia and enter into a product offtake agreement with the Department of Defense on commercial terms.

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 for 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

1 hour ago

[SMM Rare Earth Morning Meeting Summary] Bearishness Continues, Pr-Nd Oxide Remains Weak; Metals Follow the Decline with Sluggish Trading; Magnetic Materials Recover as Work Resumes

[Bearishness Persists, Pr-Nd Oxide Remains Weak; Metals Follow Lower with Sluggish Transactions; Magnetic Materials Recover as Work Resumes] Yesterday, affected by fluctuations in futures prices, most market participants maintained a bearish outlook. Downstream metal producers showed strong wait-and-see sentiment and low purchase willingness; some traders continued selling at low prices, leaving market transactions under pressure, and Pr-Nd oxide prices remained on a weak trend. In medium-heavy rare earths, dysprosium oxide and terbium oxide prices were relatively stable, with little overall change in the market.

1 hour ago

"Australia and Vietnam Strengthen Critical Minerals, Semiconductor, and Clean Energy Supply Chain Cooperation"

[SMM Rare Earth Flash] Foreign media reported that Australia and Vietnam recently agreed to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership and will strengthen supply chain cooperation in areas such as critical minerals, semiconductors, and clean energy. The two sides expressed concern over restrictive trade measures disrupting global supply chains and signed multiple cooperation agreements. In H1 2026, Australia-Vietnam bilateral trade volume grew 22% YoY to $8.1 billion, with Australia's exports to Vietnam consisting mainly of coal, minerals, and natural gas.

1 hour ago

Metallium Uses FJH Tech to Achieve High Purity in Rare Earths, Germanium, and PGMs from Raw Materials

[SMM Rare Earth Flash] REEX-Metallium Limited announced test results showing that the company used FJH technology to convert unrefined raw ore containing approximately 12% total rare earth oxides (TREO) into a mixed rare earth chloride product with purity exceeding 83%, with more than fourfold NdPr enrichment. Meanwhile, the company achieved up to 280-fold enrichment of germanium from zinc smelting scrap and obtained platinum-palladium-rhodium products with purity exceeding 60% from platinum group metal (PGM)-bearing material. In addition, red mud testing removed approximately 99% of iron and 94% of silicon, while retaining approximately 95% of aluminum and achieving separate gallium enrichment. The company has not yet disclosed key commercial metrics such as rare earth recovery rates, energy consumption, and operating costs, and the economics of scaling up FJH technology remain to be verified. Metallium currently targets first sales of processed PCB products in H1 2027.

1 hour ago