HOUSTON, November 4th (Argus) - Hedelineite is a by-product of heavy mineral sand mining. Energy Fuels, a key mineral producer in the United States, stated today that hedelineite gives it a structural advantage in the supply of rare earth minerals.
The company said at its third-quarter earnings conference call that it expects its two-stage development of the White Mesa rare earth oxide plant in Utah to produce 6,294 tons/year of praseodymium and neodymium oxide, 80 tons/year of terbium, and 288 tons/year of dysprosium by 2028.
The company's hedelineite, which accounts for over 60% of its total rare earth oxide production, provides the company with uranium by-products, which are simpler to process and have a higher recovery rate.
Energy Fuels has a hedelineite supply capacity of 40,900 tons/year, including 13,000 tons/year from the Donald project in Australia, 24,000 tons/year from the Toliara project in Madagascar, 3,100 tons/year from the Bahia project in Brazil, and 800 tons/year from Chemours, an American chemical producer.
Donald, Toliara, and Bahia are heavy mineral sand projects. The company fully owns the mining rights of Toliara and Bahia mines and holds a 49% stake in the Donald project and has the exclusive hedelineite purchase rights.
In September this year, the oxide praseodymium and neodymium processed by Energy Fuels passed all quality assurance tests for use in electric vehicle motors.
The company stated that it spent a lot of time in Washington D.C. to contact the government to assess potential support.
The company's CEO, Mark Chalmers, said: "We have finalized several projects and produced many elements of interest to the government, including uranium, rare earths, and heavy mineral sand elements, which are all key minerals."
He added: "I think this is attractive for government agencies and private entities interested in obtaining non-Chinese processed materials."
Energy Fuels' second-quarter loss increased from $12 million in the same period last year to $17 million.
