USA Rare Earth Acquires Serra Verde for $2.8B, Boosting Rare Earth Oxide Capacity to 17,100 mt/Year

[SMM Rare Earth News Flash] To accelerate the development of Europe's domestic rare earth resources, the Norwegian government has officially taken over the planning of the Fen deposit located in the Telemark region in the south of the country, elevating the project's planning authority from the Nome municipal government to the national level. The Fen deposit is Europe's largest known rare earth deposit, with rare earth oxide resources of 15.9 million mt, an 81% increase from the 2024 assessment. Currently, developer Norwegian Rare Earths plans to commence production in H2 2031 and produce 800 mt of NdPr in 2032, which is expected to meet approximately 5% of the EU's demand.

This week, the overseas rare earth market was broadly influenced by supply tightening in China, with Pr-Nd and heavy rare earth prices generally rising. On the industry front, Europe and the US accelerated supply chain independence: the Norwegian government took over the development of the Fen deposit, the US acquired Brazil's Serra Verde, and Estonia's Silmet plant commenced production of heavy rare earth separation. In addition, UK magnet recycling and Brazil-Germany cooperation both made substantive progress, as the global ex-China supply chain buildout continued to accelerate.