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Miner backed by Canada province swears to compete with China in rare earths

The Canadian province of Saskatchewan has pledged to compete with China in processing and production of unusual earths and end up being the first North American industrial alternative source for the metals, used to make magnets for electric vehicles and wind turbines.

The Saskatchewan Research Study Council Rare Earth Processing center is betting on demand for these magnets to jump in the next couple of years, driven by need from initial equipment manufacturers such as car manufacturers.

The Canadian province, home to copper, potash and uranium mines, is known for its mining expertise.

China manages 95% of the international production and supply of rare earth metals. The near-monopoly allows the nation to dictate costs and create unpredictability for end users through export controls.

In the last year, China has actually placed export controls on some important metals such as germanium, gallium and antimony, forcing western federal governments to try to find alternatives.

The SRC Rare Earth processing facility has begun production on a business scale and anticipates to hit a production target of 40 tonnes of rare earth metals each month by the end of this year, enough to power half a million electrical cars. The facility has already consolidated potential customers in South Korea, Japan and the United States.

Our focus is to stay competitive within the Asian Metals Price Index, stated Muhammad Imran, vice president of the SRC Uncommon Earth Aspect. We are constantly looking to optimise our center utilizing expert system applications that would keep our procedure efficient, Imran said.

The price of uncommon earth metals such as neodymium praseodymium, referred to as NDPR, varies in between US$ 65,000 and US$ 75,000 per tonne, a price figured out by the Chinese government.

Nevertheless, some miners have been requesting a premium price for metals produced outside China, arguing that Chinese metals are produced with low environmental, social and governance (ESG). requirements.

Regardless, Imran stated, the market will stay competitive. and makers need to be prepared to fulfill the recommendation. point of the Asian Metals Index.

This is what the market is telling you the rate for rare. earth is, if somebody can strike a better offer that's excellent, however. premium or no premium the marketplace is going to be competitive, he. said.

(source: Reuters)