Saskatchewan produces commercial rare earth metals in first for North America

The province's Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has announced that they've created their first-ever commercial-scale batch of rare earth metals over the summer, which is a first for the entirety of North America.

In that announcement, the SRC stated that they had produced that metal ahead of schedule at their Rare Earth Processing Facility located in Saskatoon.

Using their own automated technology, SRC's facility is set to produce 10 tonnes of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) metals per month, shooting for purities greater than 99.5 per cent and conversions greater than 98 per cent.

SRC is looking to upscale this production to 40 tonnes of rare earth metals per month by the end of December 2024. 

"Our government is proud to support SRC's Rare Earth Processing Facility, making Saskatchewan the first and only jurisdiction in North America to produce these rare earth metals, further establishing a rare earth technological hub here in the province," said Premier Scott Moe. "This represents a significant opportunity for Saskatchewan to be a world leader in the area of critical mineral development by establishing a secure and sustainable rare earth supply chain."

The SRC has made several agreements with international clients as of July, converting individual rare earth oxides into metals using the Rare Earth Processing Facility's smelting technology.

"SRC's Rare Earth Processing Facility is utilizing advanced technology and expertise to build a strong, sustainable rare earth supply chain for Canada and our allies," Minister Responsible for SRC Jeremy Harrison said. "The in-house technology developed by SRC means it is now the only facility in North America producing metals at a commercial scale. This will further advance Saskatchewan's global reputation as a secure supplier of rare earths that the world needs. Production of these metals is important for preserving our national security and growing our provincial economy for decades to come."

SRC says that the Rare Earth Processing Facility will be able to process 400 tonnes of NdPr metals per year once it becomes fully operational in early 2025, producing enough to power 500,000 electric vehicles.

The SRC will also use rare earth metals as essential components for wind turbines, robotics, HVAC systems, elevators, and green technologies.

"Since 2020, SRC has aimed to become a global leader in rare earth processing technology and today we have proven out an industry model for future rare earth initiatives and supply chain development," said SRC President and CEO Mike Crabtree. "This achievement is the result of more than 15 years of research and development and now commercialization in rare earths led by world-class experts in rare earth extraction and processing technology." 

SRC's Rare Earth Processing Facility has received money from the province totaling $71 million, with another $30 million coming from the Government of Canada since 2020.

The province says this funding has been instrumental in helping SRC construct a vertically and laterally integrated "minerals to metals" facility, equipped with state-of-the-art, proprietary technology developed by SRC.