MINEX Forum

Tag: European supply chain

  • USA Rare Earth plans French metal and alloy plant alongside Carester oxide facility

    USA Rare Earth plans French metal and alloy plant alongside Carester oxide facility

    USA Rare Earth (Nasdaq: USAR), through its Less Common Metals (LCM) subsidiary, plans to build a rare earth metal and alloy production facility in France next to an oxide processing plant being developed by Carester.

    Carester is currently constructing a 1,600-tonne-per-year oxide processing facility in Lacq, with commissioning scheduled for late 2026. USA Rare Earth’s proposed plant, with a capacity of 3,750 tonnes per annum, will be co-located at the Caremag site, creating an integrated European platform for rare earth processing, metal and alloy production.

    The French government has committed to partially funding the project, including credits covering up to 45% of eligible equipment costs and support of up to €130 million for real estate, according to the company.

    Shares of USA Rare Earth jumped by double digits following the announcement, amid broader gains across the rare earth sector driven by rising geopolitical tensions between the United States and Europe over Greenland. By midday trading in New York, the company’s shares were around $20, valuing it at more than $2.7 billion.

    USAR CEO Barbara Humpton said the French development would strengthen the company’s integrated rare earth value chain and benefit the United States and its allies. In parallel, USA Rare Earth is advancing a domestic mine-to-magnet strategy in the US anchored by its Round Top project in Texas, alongside a magnet manufacturing plant in Oklahoma and processing facilities in Colorado.

  • Norge Mining Acquires Europe’s Leading Graphite Producer

    Norge Mining Acquires Europe’s Leading Graphite Producer

    Anglo-Norwegian firm Norge Mining announced on Monday its acquisition of Skaland Graphite AS, the top producer of natural graphite in Europe, from Australia’s Mineral Commodities Ltd. The deal, with financial terms undisclosed, positions Norge as the sole owner of Skaland, which is home to the world’s highest-grade operating flake graphite mine, located on the island of Senja in northern Norway, about 200 km from Tromsø.

    The Skaland mine boasts a 2021 JORC-compliant resource estimate of 1.84 million tonnes at 23.6% total graphite content, equivalent to 434,000 tonnes of contained graphite using a 10% cut-off.

    The demand for graphite, a critical material in battery production, is projected to surge from $24 billion in 2022 to $38 billion by 2028. Recognizing its importance, the EU classified graphite as a strategic raw material in 2023. Currently, Europe imports about 100,000 tonnes of graphite annually, primarily from China, Tanzania, and Mozambique. However, with China producing 97% of global graphite anodes and imposing export controls, Europe’s need for domestic sources has grown significantly.

    “The need for a secure European supply chain has never been greater,” remarked Norge CEO John Vergopoulos.

    At its current output of 10,500 tonnes annually, Skaland ranks among the top four non-Chinese graphite producers globally. Norge Mining aims to boost Skaland’s production to include battery-grade graphite while continuing to serve industrial customers.

    The acquisition, pending regulatory approvals, is expected to conclude in the first quarter of next year. Additionally, Norge Mining plans to diversify its portfolio by supplying essential battery materials, such as phosphate, from its Eigersund project in southwest Norway.

  • Norge Mining Acquires Skaland Graphite, Europe’s Largest Natural Graphite Producer

    Norge Mining Acquires Skaland Graphite, Europe’s Largest Natural Graphite Producer

    Anglo-Norwegian mining company Norge Mining has announced its acquisition of Skaland Graphite AS, Europe’s largest producer of natural graphite, from Mineral Commodities Ltd., an Australian mining firm. The deal positions Norge Mining to bolster European supply chains for battery-grade graphite, a critical material for energy storage and electric vehicle production.

    The Skaland mine, located on Senja Island in northern Norway, is the world’s highest-grade flake graphite mine and the fourth-largest graphite producer outside China. Producing approximately 10,500 tonnes of graphite annually, the mine boasts an updated JORC-compliant resource estimate of 1.84 million tonnes at 23.6% total graphitic carbon (TGC).

    Norge Mining plans to expand Skaland’s operations to target battery-grade graphite production, alongside its ongoing supply to industrial customers. This strategy aligns with the company’s broader ambitions to produce other battery materials, including phosphate, from its Eigersund Project in southwest Norway.

    Graphite demand is projected to surge as the global market is expected to grow from $24 billion in 2022 to $38 billion by 2028. The EU’s reclassification of graphite as a strategic raw material in 2023, combined with new export controls on graphite by China—currently the source of 97% of global graphite anode production—has heightened the urgency for a secure European supply chain.

    The acquisition of Skaland will be completed on a cash and debt-free basis, with the transaction expected to close in Q1 2025, pending regulatory approval. Norge Mining CEO John Vergopoulos emphasized the importance of this acquisition, stating: “The need for a secure European supply chain has never been greater.”

  • Vulcan begins commissioning of lithium extraction plant in Germany

    Vulcan begins commissioning of lithium extraction plant in Germany

    ASX-listed Vulcan Energy Resources has started commissioning of its lithium extraction optimisation plant (LEOP) in Landau at Upper Rhine Valley in Germany.

    Considered to be a milestone for Vulcan, the plant will extract, purify and increase the concentration of lithium chloride from brine. This phase is said to be a major step forward for the company and its zero-carbon lithium project.

    The start of the plant will enable the domestic supply independence of lithium, a critical raw material that is used in the production of electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

    Vulcan stated that the commissioning phase will continue until October, which is also when the first brine will be introduced into the plant to begin the lithium extraction process.

    Construction on the project began last year and was designed for optimisation, operational training and product qualification facility to provide commercial readiness by the end of 2025.

    Vulcan CEO Cris Moreno said: “By 2030, Europe is likely to face a significant lithium shortage, which could have serious implications for the European battery and automotive industries if domestic supplies are not realised. Vulcan is gearing up to be the first to produce lithium from Europe, for Europe, but also to be the first company worldwide to produce carbon-neutral lithium.

    “The start of the commissioning of our LEOP facility is a key step toward the implementation of phase one of our Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project, and in enabling a secure and independent European supply chain for lithium.”

    The initial phase of commercial operations at the plant aims to have a production of 24,000tpa of lithium hydroxide production, which will be supplied to off-takers in Europe.

    For lithium extraction from brine, Vulcan will use adsorption-type direct lithium extraction (A-DLE), which is claimed to have been commercially proven.

    The method can be deployed for low operating costs, more time efficiency and reduced carbon footprint compared to legacy industry methods for producing lithium. It will be powered using renewable heat instead of gas.

  • Vulcan fires up European lithium extraction plant

    Vulcan fires up European lithium extraction plant

    Vulcan Energy Resources has fired up its lithium extraction optimisation plant (LEOP) in Germany’s Upper Rhine Valley – a moment the company describes as a “significant milestone”.

    The budding carbon-neutral lithium developer is nudging closer to being the first company in Europe to produce the sought-after lithium hydroxide concentrate – crucial in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries – for the European market.

    Management has today revealed it has begun the commissioning phase for its LEOP and it is is expected to run until October, when the first bubbling-hot brine will be introduced into the plant for the lithium extraction process to begin.

    The newly-constructed LEOP is a ramped-up version of Vulcan’s pilot plant that has successfully produced lithium chloride from its producing well sites for the past two and half years.

    To extract lithium from brines, Vulcan is employing the adsorption-type direct lithium extraction (A-DLE) method, which has the added benefits of lower operating costs, greater time efficiency and a lower carbon footprint than legacy industry methods of lithium production.

    In the extraction process, the company will use its proprietary sorbent “VULSORB®”, which it has demonstrated to have a higher performance and lower water consumption for lithium extraction when compared with other commercially-available sorbents.

    From the LEOP, the lithium chloride will be refined to lithium hydroxide at Vulcan’s downstream central lithium electrolyser optimisation plant (CLEOP) in Frankfurt- Höchst and packaged up for further testing by notable offtake partners including Stellantis, Volkswagen, Renault, Umicore and LG Energy Solution.

    The commencement of the commissioning of our LEOP facility represents a significant milestone for us, as well as the entire European battery industry. By 2030, Europe is likely to face a significant lithium shortage, which could have serious implications for the European battery and automotive industries if domestic supplies are not realised. Vulcan is gearing up to be the first to produce lithium from Europe, for Europe, but also to be the first company worldwide to produce carbon-neutral lithium. The start of the commissioning of our LEOP facility is a key step toward the implementation of Phase One of our Zero Carbon Lithium Project, and in enabling a secure and independent European supply chain for lithium.

    Vulcan Energy Resources managing director and chief executive officer Cris Moreno

    With the company’s sights set firmly on a 2025 production target, it is also stepping up to help solve Europe’s looming lithium supply shortfall, with production forecast to supply up to 24,000 tonnes per annum of lithium hydroxide monohydrate.

    Located in the Upper Rhine Valley that extends across France, Germany and Switzerland, Vulcan has its foot on a 300km “graben” system that contains a sedimentary-hosted geothermal lithium reservoir that hosts 26.6 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent – the biggest lithium resource in the European Union.

    Pioneering a carbon-free future, the company lays claim to the world’s first integrated renewable energy lithium extraction and lithium hydroxide project with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, with the co-production of renewable geothermal energy on a mass scale.

    As Europe sweats through one of its hottest summers on record, discussions around climate change continue to be front and centre as the subcontinent steers towards its lofty 2050 carbon-neutral goals. With the transition to a global electric mobile fleet in full swing, Vulcan is neatly positioned to meet the unprecedented demand for the critical battery metal with its net-carbon neutral lithium.