RER updates schedule — Demo plant slated to open in early 2026
Rare Element Resources expects to begin operating its demonstration plant in Upton in early 2026, the company announced in a July 17 news release.
In April, the company had announced that its equipment shakedown process indicated it needed to alter its design and equipment so that the plant could operate effectively. RER and mineral processing experts at General Atomics affiliate Umwelt-und Ingenieurtechnik GmbH Dresden, will then recommend improvements to the plant after a review of the whole system, which was expected to be completed by June. Germany-based Umwelt-Ingenieurtechnik helped move the technology through pilot testing,
The release says that the review — which included “all materials of construction, piping and electrical design, and other key items” — has progressed steadily and identified several “areas of improvement,” such as equipment upgrades that the company is now sourcing.
“The schedule to incorporate these rework activities into the Plant’s operation is now being finalized and is expected to be completed in August,” the release says.
The company anticipates conducting a final inspection and shakedown by the end of 2025, according to the release.
“As we focused the prior weeks on the full system connectivity and materials of construction, we are pleased to report that our team has now completed the updated Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams and are sourcing the necessary additional equipment and construction materials,” Ken Mushinski, RER’s president and CEO, says in the release, “Further, we have begun updating our system control narratives to align with the upgraded design.”
The plant will collect data for up to 10 months and produce up to 10 tons of separated neodymium/praseodymium (Nd/Pr) oxide that will support the debut of a planned commercial plant that will use RER’s processing and separation technology.
In the release’s advisory regarding forward-looking statements, the company noted that expectations for the plant’s data generation, schedule, Nd/Pr oxide production level and ability to meet “the demand for a secure and diversified domestic source of critical rare earths for U.S. defense and high-tech applications” depends on several factors, such as the ability to operate the plant long enough to “ascertain commercialization decisions,” the ability to maintain licensing and permits, and the effect of inflation and supply chain issues.
“There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by management,” the advisory says.