Arafura Signs Rare Earth Supply Deal with Indian Group, Securing 83.6% of Nolans Project Output

[SMM Rare Earth News Flash] Recently, the key R&D plan project of the autonomous region—"Research on Integrated Information Prospecting Prediction and Exploration Demonstration of Ion-Adsorbed Heavy Rare Earth Ore in Guangxi Based on Artificial Intelligence"—led by the Guangxi No. 274 Geological Team and implemented in conjunction with the Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, was officially launched in Nanning. As one of the main producing areas of ion-adsorbed rare earth ore in south China, Guangxi has abundant rare earth resources but insufficient exploration accuracy. The project will rely on the geological data and exploration experience of the Guangxi Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and, with the help of artificial intelligence technology, construct a multi-source heterogeneous information fusion model, focusing on breaking through the bottleneck of spatial positioning accuracy of heavy rare earth orebodies. After the project launch meeting, the team went to a typical mining area to conduct the first phase of joint field reconnaissance.

[SMM Rare Earth Flash News] The Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) of the US Department of Defense provided a conditional loan commitment of $500 million to rare earth refiner Phoenix Tailings. The loan, together with private capital, totals approximately $1 billion and will be used to build a rare earth midstream processing facility named "Freedom Facility," which will process various raw materials from mines, recyclers, etc., to produce light and heavy rare earth metals needed for US industrial and defense systems. Phoenix Tailings currently operates two metallization facilities in Burlington, Massachusetts and Exeter, New Hampshire. The new facility is targeted for initial operations in 2028.

[SMM Rare Earth Express] High-performance magnet manufacturer Arnold Magnetic Technologies announced a multimillion-dollar second-phase investment in its plant in Amata City, Chonburi Province, Thailand, adding samarium cobalt (SmCo) magnet production, forming, and finishing capabilities. The plant, which started production in October 2024, has obtained ISO 9001 and AS9100 certifications. Construction of the second phase has already begun and is expected to be fully operational by mid-2027, at which point the company’s overall magnet capacity will double. The expansion will ease capacity pressure at its Swiss plant, shorten delivery lead times, and enhance the resilience of the global permanent magnet supply chain.