Greenland has significant deposits of rare earth minerals, including those found in Kvanefjeld and Sarfartoq, with the European Union signing a strategic partnership to develop sustainable raw material value chains.

"KoBold Metals, Bluejay Mining, the European Union, and the National Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland have expressed interest in extracting rare earth minerals in Greenland."

"Greenland is estimated to have significant rare earth mineral deposits, with 25 of the 34 critical raw materials important for European industry and green transformation found in the country."

The Swedish mining company LKAB discovered over 1 million tonnes of rare earth metals in Lapland, specifically in the Kiruna region of northern Sweden.

"A Swedish mining company has discovered rare earth deposits in the far north of the country, estimated to contain 585 million tons of ore, which could be a significant factor in the production of electric vehicles and wind turbines."

AEX Gold is a corporation involved in Greenland's mineral development, with a focus on exploring and extracting gold and other minerals in the region.

The Norwegian government has informed the European Commission, specifically Ursula von der Leyen, about their mining plans to avoid misunderstandings.

China holds 36.67% of the world's rare earth reserves.

Tanbreez Mining has plans to extract rare earth minerals in Greenland, with a five-year plan to get into production at Nalunaq and fund further exploration.

Vital Metals is developing the Tardiff deposit.

The Tanbreez mine in Greenland contains 19 million tons of rare earth oxides, with 30% being heavy rare earth elements.

Naja Nathanielsen, the Minister of Business, Trade, Mineral Resources, Justice and Gender Equality, signed the memorandum of understanding on behalf of Greenland.

KoBold Metals and BHP will conduct their metal search in western Australia.

Greenland has significant deposits of rare earth minerals, including those found in Kvanefjeld and Sarfartoq, with the European Union signing a strategic partnership to develop sustainable raw material value chains.

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Content: Friday 01 December 2023
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Abdurrahim Ali
Editor-in-Chief
Dalia Abdul Rahim
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editorial Board
Abdurrahim Ali
Editor-in-Chief
Dalia Abdul Rahim
The world.
EU and Greenland sign strategic partnership on raw material value chains
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The European Union has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Greenland in Brussels to establish a strategic partnership to develop sustainable raw material value chains.
Greenland ’ s vast natural wealth is a key asset for reaping the benefits of global value chains, as it seeks to diversify its economy in a sustainable way, while 25 of the 34 critical raw materials identified by the Commission as strategically important for European industry and green transformation can be found in Greenland.
The Executive Vice President of the European Green Deal, Enterprise Relations and Foresight of the European Commission, Maros Sivčović, signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Greenland represented by the Minister of Business, Trade, Mineral Resources, Justice and Gender Equality, Naga Nathanelsen.
The signing of the MoU will contribute to the development of sustainable projects along the raw materials value chains and the deployment of the necessary infrastructure for their development.
The MoU provides for close cooperation between Greenland and the EU in five important areas; among which is the development of economic and industrial integration of the value chains of vital raw materials and other raw materials.
This includes networking, joint project development, creating and promoting new business models, attracting investments, supporting access to finance, facilitating business linkages, developing and integrating support for economic diversification and ensuring the smooth functioning and resilience of value chains.
Foster collaboration to leverage high environmental, social and international governance (ESG) standards, to ensure that Greenland ’ s mineral sector serves as a lever for sustainable and inclusive economic growth while creating local and local value.
This includes the sustainable exploitation of mineral resources in close dialogue with the Greenland community of individuals, organisations, institutions and other stakeholders, taking fully into account the unique nature of Greenland ’ s pristine lands and applying high environmental, social and governance standards set out in legislation, conventions, guidelines and best practices.
Deploy the infrastructure needed to develop raw material value chains.
This includes taking into account the specificities of Greenland's transport and energy infrastructure needs, taking into account Arctic or sub-Arctic conditions, and supporting the mobilization of funding for such infrastructure.
Capacity building and skills development along raw material value chains.
This includes developing skills at all levels in the raw materials industry and wider society.
Greenland is eligible to participate in the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and provides Earth observation data thanks to the European Copernicus Satellite Programme which offers promising opportunities related to mineral exploration, sediment mapping and mining monitoring including waste management and environmental impact monitoring.
according to the statement.

"KoBold Metals, Bluejay Mining, the European Union, and the National Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland have expressed interest in extracting rare earth minerals in Greenland."

Title:

Content: Largest rare earth deposits found in EU
Friday ، 13 January 2023 03: 30 PM
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Fatma Shawky
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A Swedish mining company says it has found the largest rare earth deposits in the European Union in the far north of the country, which accounts for a large part of European needs, according to the Spanish newspaper Portavolio.
The discovery will be a major factor in the production of electric vehicles and wind turbines.
This first discovery of the deposits, named Per Geijer, suggests that they contain 585 million tons of ore, where apatite containing phosphorus and other rare elements are found.
Lounges have been set up to access the deposits 700 metres from the Kiruna iron mine to verify depth and detail, and it is expected to wait a year or two to see when these reserves can start to be exploited, which at current rates will take 10 or 15 years.
Swedish Energy and Industry Minister Ebba Bosch said the discovery "shows that there are important results of the green transition" and will help the EU bloc reduce its dependence on other countries for these essential minerals for electricity.
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"Greenland is estimated to have significant rare earth mineral deposits, with 25 of the 34 critical raw materials important for European industry and green transformation found in the country."

The Swedish mining company LKAB discovered over 1 million tonnes of rare earth metals in Lapland, specifically in the Kiruna region of northern Sweden.

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Content: People 's Network > > International
Large-scale rare earth mine found in Sweden threatens to ease EU ’ s rare earth shortage
January 19, 2023, 16: 34 | Source: Xinhua Network
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Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 19, (International observation) Sweden found large rare earth mines may be difficult to alleviate the "rare earth shortage" in the European Union.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Binbin
Sweden's state-owned mining company Luosa-Kiruna Mountain has announced that it has discovered a rare earth deposit in the Kiruna region of northern Sweden, containing more than 1 million tons of rare earth oxides.
It is the largest known rare earth deposit in Europe.
Analysts believe that although this discovery will help the EU to ease the situation of highly dependent on imports of rare earths, the EU's "rare earth shortage" is unlikely to have significant changes in the short term.
“A long way from discovery to development. ”
Jan Mostrom, chief executive of Luosa-Kiruna Mountain, said recently that the scale of rare earths in Kiruna has yet to be determined.
The company plans to submit a mining concession application this year, and it is expected to take several years to explore the deposits and the conditions for sustainable mining.
Rare earth is known as "industrial vitamins" and is widely used in metallurgy, military, petrochemical, glass ceramics, agriculture and new materials.
But the EU relies almost entirely on imports for rare earths.
"There is a long way to go from discovery to real mining," Mostrom said.
"It will take at least 10 to 15 years to start mining the deposit and supply it to the market," he said.
Several rare earth deposits have previously been found in Europe, such as in Kwane Bay in Greenland and Norrachel in Sweden.
However, because these sites are located near the Arctic, the need for local environmental protection has led to the development of the project is not smooth.
Ross Embleton, a researcher at Wood Mackenzie Consulting in the United Kingdom, believes that unless the approval process is shortened, the newly discovered deposit will not have an impact on the global supply of rare earths in the short term.
New opportunities for the Swedish industry
European Commission President von der Leyen said that the EU ’ s demand for rare earths is expected to increase fivefold by 2030, and that rare earths and lithium will “soon be more important than oil and gas. ”
For Sweden, the discovery of rare earth minerals will help reshape its image as an EU mining powerhouse, giving it a bigger role in the EU ’ s green transition.
The website of the French newspaper Le Monde pointed out that in the past decade, metal prices have been depressed, and mining exploration activities in Sweden have decreased sharply, but there are signs of recovery in the recent past.
It is also reported that this spring, the European Commission will introduce measures to strengthen its own supply of key raw materials, which means that Sweden's rare earth project may receive EU support.
Short-term changes to the pattern.
The European Union has been trying to diversify the rare earth supply chain for several years.
After the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, the EU is more eager to push forward the process, especially to seek to strengthen its own supply within the EU.
However, the rare earth industry chain involves a series of procedures such as mining and separation, and the rare earth mineral reserves alone are not enough, which is also an important reason for the EU to get rid of its import dependence.
Geologists from the Swedish Geological Survey pointed out that Europe currently lacks the comprehensive capacity to process rare earth metals and manufacture intermediate products. “We also need to focus on the entire industry chain of rare earth metals, such as rare earth permanent magnets for wind turbines or electric vehicle engines. ”
Analysts stressed that the European rare earth industry chain is incomplete, the lack of advanced technology, talent and other supporting resources required, which will lead to the production of rare earth products cost too high, lack of competitiveness, and thus lead to the lack of incentives for enterprises to invest in this industry.
Experts pointed out that because China has the advantages of technology patents and industrial scale in processing links such as refining, many European companies choose to cooperate with China to process and extract raw materials, which is more economical.
Argus Media, an international independent pricing agency involved in energy and commodity markets, believes that some companies are pushing for a supply chain for rare earth products in Europe, "but the road to production of rare earth products is very difficult and requires huge investment and political will."
(Edited by: Cui Dege, Xu Xiangli)
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"A Swedish mining company has discovered rare earth deposits in the far north of the country, estimated to contain 585 million tons of ore, which could be a significant factor in the production of electric vehicles and wind turbines."

AEX Gold is a corporation involved in Greenland's mineral development, with a focus on exploring and extracting gold and other minerals in the region.

Title:

Content: AEX Gold aims to invest in Greenland through its new gold mining project

Traditionally known for its fishing and hunting industries, Greenland is fast becoming the next significant area of exploration for mining businesses. The largest island in the world, Greenland remains one of the least populated areas worldwide with 56,000 citizens, and it has sought to attract local and foreign investment across a number of new projects.

The island’s current position remains complex. A sovereign government, it is positioned under the Danish kingdom who provide grants to support its local economy. To further its independence and bolster its economy to create increased tax revenue, Greenland has embraced the exploration of new mining projects as well as utilising all the renewable and local resources it has to offer.

Rich in rare-earth minerals, gold, iron-ore, uranium, in addition to hydro and wind power, Greenland’s favourable legal framework and robust infrastructure, particularly in South Greenland, have factored into AEX Gold’s vision to explore through its Greenlandic subsidiary, Nalunaq Gold Mine, situated in the Nanortalik Gold belt, Southern Greenland.

Acquiring an existing Exploitation Licence in 2015, the company is at the advanced exploration stage of its Nalunaq property, including the previously operating Nalunaq Gold Mine.   It also holds Exploration Licences at the early exploration stage Vagar and Tartoq properties.

Hosting a high-grade NI 43-101 compliant gold resource estimate of 263k oz (inferred) at 18.7 g/t and a number of regional exploration targets, AEX Gold has undertaken three years of exploration at Nalunaq, developing an updated geological model and an extension of the main vein strike length up to 1km.

“The government is very supportive, so it's about having a sound exploration strategy. We are very much focused on that, as we have an asset package that we think we can grow and create a lot of value,” explains Chief Executive Officer, Eldur Olafsson.

Originating from Iceland, Olafsson has gained extensive experience of the local geography. Focusing on mining projects in Greenland since 2012, he has analysed the country’s potential against the backdrop of environmental responsibilities and associated legalities with partner SRK Exploration Services. Through this process, the business has turned its attentions solely towards gold exploration.

“The known gold deposits in Greenland are in an area where the climate is mild and, given our experience, logistics are relatively easy. Gold opportunities are easier to finance than larger base metals projects and our perception was that we could fully fund projects like these through our support here in Iceland and in the UK market,” he explains.

“We started looking for opportunities in the South Greenland Gold Province and became aware of this historically producing mine. We were attracted by the extremely high-grade potential of the resource and the fact that the project had significant infrastructure in place.  We believed there were significant opportunities to materially improve the mining operation that had been run by previous operators.”

Extensive exploration

Throughout the exploration of high-grade resources, Olafsson is proud to remain hands on and is regularly seen on site. By undertaking various technical studies, AEX has gained the ability to comprehensively analyse similar types of assets with potential.  After acquiring the Nalunaq project in 2015 the company has continued to expand its portfolio. Whilst Nalunaq encompasses the required licence to explore and recommence production at the old gold mine, they own the larger Vagar exploration licence, situated a few kilometres to the west of the mine, where AEX believes the ground is prospective for the discovery of further Nalunaq-type deposits.  In addition, they also own the early stage Tartoq Project to the North West of Nalunaq. Each licence area is at a different stage of exploration which supports AEX’s aim of having a continuous pipeline of projects being brought into production.

“We have a total of 690sqkm of licences in south Greenland and we're the only active listed gold company in Greenland. Previous operators undertook very little forward-looking exploration once the mine was in production.  It's a very under-explored region so we intend to recommence production within the next two years at Nalunaq in order to support our exploration in the larger licences in the next 5-10 years,” he says.

“Iceland is a short distance from Greenland, so logistically it’s good for us. Additionally, in Iceland you need to be really self-sufficient, and the same can be said for those in Greenland. We don't have as many people or the multitude of services that you would have in other countries which encourages you to think creatively,” he adds.

Consequently, the company has sought to maximise efficiency whilst keeping costs down, yet all the time adding increased value across its operations.

By acquiring a high-grade deposit, less material is needed to be broken down, lowering AEX Gold’s carbon footprint. Everything taken out of the mine from underground will be processed and shipped out to a different processing facility, or processed on site adhering to the current environmental guidelines. Historically, electricity has been generated through the use of traditional fossil fuels, something which is steadily changing throughout Greenland.

“We're using oil to put in generators or to power mobile mining equipment which is high cost both in monetary and environmental terms.   Greenland currently has five hydroelectric power plants and they are looking at building more in south Greenland,” says Olafsson.

Seeing huge opportunities, he explains that the use of hydropower and wind power would complement AEX Gold’s operations, not only in its existing exploration activities, but with the implementation of an electric mining fleet with electricity being obtained from local renewable resources.

Providing local opportunities

In the future, it will be essential for Greenland to gain further revenue to unlock opportunities and services for its citizens. This is something Olafsson believes that AEX Gold can help with due to its knowledge of Iceland as it has many similarities to Greenland and has been through a period of comparable change.

“Greenland is in a similar position to Iceland not so long ago. Iceland didn't have a high education rate and wasn’t wealthy compared to other European countries, with economic and cultural activities that were very insular. We are now at the highest level of all parameters in terms of education, wealth per family, etc. and this has stemmed from improving the breadth of schooling and creating opportunities for people to grow and develop outside of the traditional areas of agriculture and fisheries.

“Our aim is that the majority of employees will be Greenlandic, but it will take time. Greenland has a large number of people competing for jobs in the fisheries and tourist centres. It is important that Greenlanders are able to access programmes that will allow them to consider other career options. In Iceland we are importing a lot of people to work in different industries in our country because we don't have enough people. This might be the case for Greenlanders as well if the anticipated growth of the Mining Sector materialises but we want to ensure that, where possible, we use local people first before looking elsewhere.

“The Greenlandic Government provides good support for those who seek education.  There are an increasing number of Greenlandic students attending Danish Universities so that now, for example, we are seeing well qualified Greenlandic geologists available for employment.  There has been a Mining School at Sisimiut for the last 10 years which provides local qualified labour who can take advantage of opportunities in the Mining sector.  You need skilled labour and as we own a mine that was in production for 10 years previously, there is a fair bit of local knowledge that we have been able to use during our exploration work and which we are keen to utilise going forward,” he says.

“We are creating revenue for local communities, creating highly skilled jobs, and are providing benefits where local communities can live better lives and grow as individuals. We need to create opportunities for young people.”

Additionally, by working with local businesses as well as those who have been operating in Greenland for some time, AEX has made a conscious effort to hire companies which can support its growth. AEX have therefore acquired a longstanding relationship with Cartwright Drilling, due to the company’s extensive experience in Greenland and subsequent knowledge of the island’s government systems, processes and practices.

Planning to mine high-grade resources using significant infrastructure already in place, AEX Gold holds extensive licences managed by an experienced team. Previous operations produced between 50,000 to 100,000 ounces a year at 15.4 grams/ton produced and this has provided a benchmark for the company, who will utilise this cash flow to explore the wider region in the long-term.

“We have a five-year plan where we want to get into production at Nalunaq and use the cash generated to fund exploration in the wider district.   We envisage investing a significant amount in exploration assets to provide a portfolio of different deposits that we can bring into production. We are creating a company that has a long-term mission in Greenland to build up local know how to support our aim of ramping up to very profitable production across a number of projects,” notes Olafsson.

“It will create a dramatic effect on the local community and hopefully be a springboard for unlocking much larger potential in Greenland. There are plenty of deposits that have been found, but you have to be able to develop them. You can only do that that with support and cooperation from the local people who believe in your vision.”

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The Norwegian government has informed the European Commission, specifically Ursula von der Leyen, about their mining plans to avoid misunderstandings.

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Norway’s deep-sea mining plans could put it on collision course with the EU

Frazer Norwell - [email protected]

The European Parliament has voted in favour of expressing its deep concerns over Norway's plans to mine the seabed in the Arctic for precious minerals

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A European Parliament resolution on Wednesday raised concerns over Norway’s plans to carry out deep-sea mining plans and the impact it could have on EU fisheries, food security, Arctic marine biodiversity and the potential impacts on neighboring countries, environmental news publication ENDS Europe reported.

Despite not being a member of the European Union, Norway is bound to Europe by the EEA Agreement which sees Norway adopt European laws and directives in exchange for access to the single market.

On January 9th, Norway’s parliament voted through proposals for commercial scale deep-sea mining, making it the first country in the world to do so.

Around 280,000 square kilometers of the Norwegian continental shelf could be opened up for deep-sea mining.

The decision was supported by a coalition of parties inside and outside of government. The Conservative Party, Labour Party, Centre Party and Progress Party all voted in favour of the proposal.

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has rejected early criticism of the proposal.

“What has been talked about in the European Parliament in recent days... of what Norway is doing does not match reality,” Støre said to Norwegian newswire NTB on Wednesday .

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“Norway is used to claims and statements being made about our management of the marine areas. It has always been the case, whether it has been about whaling or gas operations, or as now, that we have a map of what minerals we have on the seabed,” he also said.

He said that the government had penned a letter to President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to avoid misunderstandings on the matter.

“I have used the opportunity in recent days to inform European colleagues about what Norway is actually doing. It is not like we are going to give the green light to mining on the seabed. There is not a single project that is under consideration, and not a single green light has been given,” Støre said.

Those in favour of the proposal say that the minerals that could be extracted from the seabed are essential for the global transition to green industries.

Scientists, environmental groups and politicians have raised serious concerns about the potential ecological impact of deep-sea mining. A geological survey by the Norwegian government has also expressed reservations.

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Experts also argue that the current gaps in scientific understanding of deep-sea ecosystems meaning that it would be too soon to even begin exploration of the seabed for minerals like cobalt, copper, zinc.

The minerals are used in a number of key green energy technologies such as batteries, electric car engines, wind turbines, solar cells, and power lines.

Norway doesn’t expect actual mining activity to begin until the early 2030s and has said that the issuance of licenses would be dependent on environmental studies.

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China holds 36.67% of the world's rare earth reserves.

Title:

Content: According to foreign media reports, a large amount of rare earth resources have been discovered in the northwestern Turkish province of Eskişehir, which contains about 694 million tons of rare earth metals. It is estimated that these reserves can meet the needs of the world for 1,000 years, which can bring a lot of profits and jobs to Turkey.
The mainland media pointed out that after checking the news, Turkey did claim to find a huge rare earth reserve at the end of June, but still do not know the types and reserves of its rare earth mineral resources, and the mainstream international financial media and industry media have not confirmed the true content of this news.
Russia's "Satellite News Agency" quoted the "Turkish Daily" reported that a large number of rare earth resources have been found in the northwestern Turkish province of Eskişehir, and the ore deposit contains about 694 million tons of rare earth, which may bring billions of dollars in benefits to Turkey after processing.
Turkish Federation of Mining and Metals Exporters, member Megyn Ceginich, said the rare earth reserves found in Turkey are enough to meet the world ’ s 1,000-year needs, “which will create jobs for locals and young people. ”
Rare Earth (Rare Earth), or rare earth metals, is the collective name of the 17 metal chemical elements in Group III of the Element Cycle Table, including scandium, yttrium, and lanthanides. Rare earth is known as "modern industrial vitamins" due to its wide range of end-use applications.
Rare earth elements also play a vital role in the clean energy transition.
Neodymium, propane, propane and terbium are key to the production of permanent magnets for electric vehicles (EVs) and wind turbines. Yttrium and scandium can be used in some types of hydrogen electrolysis tanks.
In terms of volume, neodymium is the most important.
In nature, rare earth elements mainly exist in the form of rare earth minerals (REO), which are difficult to separate.
The concentration of rare earth resources distribution is higher, and the four rare earth resources countries account for more than 90% of the total rare earth reserves.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) data show that the global rare earth reserves have been maintained at 120 million tons since the decline of 130 million tons in 2015, and China's rare earth reserves in 2021 were 44 million tons, accounting for 36.67%, and the proportion of perennial mining has been reduced but still far exceeds other countries.
This was followed by Vietnam with 18.33%, Brazil with 17.5% and Russia with 17.5%.
The total amount of rare earth reserves in the top four countries in the world is as high as 90%.
China's "overseas network" pointed out that China is the world's largest rare earth reserves of the country, but also established a relatively complete rare earth industry chain and industrial system, is the world's largest rare earth producer, exporter and application country.
The mainland media "Phoenix network" pointed out that Turkey found a large number of rare earth resources topic in the Chinese network attracted attention, once ranked at the forefront of the micro-blog hot search list, has been nearly 100 million times read, but the content of the message has many doubts.
For example, the fact that enough rare earth reserves to last the earth for millennia can only generate “billions of dollars ” in benefits for Turkey is clearly a disproportionate misinformation.
The news of the discovery of a huge amount of rare earth resources in Turkey was announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a cabinet meeting on June 28.
According to Erdogan, Beylikova is an important rare earth mine in Turkey and the second largest reserve in the world after China.
A production facility is being built here that will process 1,200 tons of ore per year.
Turkish media subsequently reported extensively on this, saying that the 694 million tons of rare earth reserves are the second largest in the world, behind only China ’ s 800 million tons.
Turkey finds large reserves of rare earth resources sufficient to meet global demand for 1,000 years
Read more: Turkey finds huge amounts of rare earth enough for global use for thousands of years?
# Rare Earth # Turkey # Reserves # Resources # China

Tanbreez Mining has plans to extract rare earth minerals in Greenland, with a five-year plan to get into production at Nalunaq and fund further exploration.

What company has obtained permission to extract Greenland's rare earths?

Vital Metals is developing the Tardiff deposit.

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Vital Metals shifts focus to Tardiff deposit with new Chinese investment

Vital Metals’ future in the Northwest Territories is unclear, but the company’s plan to focus on the Tardiff deposit at Nechalacho remains promising, according to Tom Hoefer, executive director of the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines.

“It’s a significant deposit, and it’s much bigger than the one they test mined,” Hoefer said. “So that’s the prize, I would say – at this point, anyway.”

Australian-owned Vital Metals commenced operations at Nechalacho in 2021. The site, which sits about 100 kilometres southeast of Yellowknife, produces rare earth elements (REE), critical minerals used in electronics, green energy, automotive, aerospace, military defence and more.

Until recently, Vital Metals had plans to build a processing facility in Saskatoon. Processed assets would then be sold to Norwegian firm REEtec before being further processed and moved to other parts of Europe for various uses. However, in late September, after spending millions of dollars on the construction of the Saskatoon plant, the company made a stunning revelation.

“In summary we’ve demonstrated that the Saskatoon facility doesn’t make economic sense for us to operate, so we’ve decided to terminate that facility,” Vital Metals chairman Richard Crookes said in a video statement. “We’ve placed the holding company, Vital Metals Canada Ltd. into bankruptcy and we’ve terminated our offtake agreement with REEtec.”

Crookes, who was listed as the point of contact in Vital Metals’ recent news releases, did not respond to three requests for an interview about the company’s current situation, or that of its subsidiary Cheetah Resources, which owns Nechalacho.

The GNWT’s department of Industry, Tourism and Investment would not comment on the status of either company, but noted that “Cheetah Resources has not attained commercial production as defined by section 68 of the NWT Mining Regulations,” which means that the company is not currently required to file a royalty return.

Focus on Tardiff

Vital Metals’ announcement about its Saskatoon plant coincided with its decision to focus on Tardiff, which Crookes called a “very large, high-grade, shallow” deposit and “a fantastic asset in a great jurisdiction.”

Soon after the announcement was made, the company hired a new managing director in Geordie Mark, the former head of mining research at Haywood Securities, a Vancouver-based investment firm.

Weeks later, in late October, Vital Metals unveiled what it called a “cornerstone investment” from a Singaporean subsidiary of Chinese REE company Shenghe Resource Holdings. The investment “will allow the company to establish a new leadership team, and to progress development of the large-scale Tardiff deposit,” stated the news release announcing the deal.

The homepage of Vital Metals’ website claims that the company aims to “become the lowest cost producer of mixed rare earth oxide outside of China,” yet a Chinese firm will now share in any success the NWT project has.

‘Head-scratcher’

While Crookes did not respond to multiple requests for an interview, Hoefer noted that Shenghe likely doesn’t have enough ownership in the company to have controlling interest, but called Vital Metals’ decision to get involved with a Chinese firm “a head-scratcher.”

“If you research the critical mineral strategies of places like the United States and Canada, one of the reasons for having the strategy is also because China is dominating the scene with critical minerals,” he said. “There’s a concern because critical minerals are also used in defense and other strategic things. There’s concern over monopolization of critical minerals out of China.”

No matter how Vital Metals’ future unfolds, Hoefer believes prospects for the critical mineral industry in the territory are bright, and contends that the company has helped show the industry’s potential.

“Certainly the world has a strong demand for rare earths as with all of these critical minerals,” he said. “That’s why these minerals are called critical.

“[Vital Metals] mined the smaller deposit [at Nechalacho] so that they could do proof of concept that they could establish a supply chain of rare earth elements from Canada all the way through to final product, and they did that,” he added.

“I think it’s a tremendous stride that they proved that that could happen with stuff from the Northwest Territories.”

The NWT’s critical minerals industry could become all the more critical in the coming years, with the territory’s three remaining diamond mines all nearing closure. The critical minerals industry won’t replace the diamond mines, but it can help fill the void – provided that the government can entice companies to start digging, Hoefer said.

“The Northwest Territories, and Nunavut for that matter, are hugely attractive from a geological potential,” he said. “Where they suffer is from things like lack of infrastructure, or overly complex regulatory systems, or their geography, which increases the costs. That’s where governments need to start realizing that, yes, we’ve got great potential, but to unlock that potential, we’re going to have to roll up our sleeves and do something about it.

“I think sometimes people think that the reason we have mines is because the mines have come and decided to do what they want to do, but the reality is it’s governments that have a responsibility.”

Tom Taylor, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWT News/North

The Tanbreez mine in Greenland contains 19 million tons of rare earth oxides, with 30% being heavy rare earth elements.

Title:

Content: Greenland to mine rare earths in 2024 | Economic Horizontal | DW | 30.07.2023
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Economic stratification
Greenland to mine rare earths in 2024
According to the German "Economic Weekly" reported that a mining company has obtained permission from the Greenland government to mine rare earths on the island.
The company said production could begin next year.
Tanbreez Mining, a mining company, plans to mine rare earths in Greenland next year, according to the Economic Weekly.
“We can start production next year, ” said Greg Barnes, a geologist and owner of the company. Greenland ’ s deputy minister for minerals confirmed to the journal that a mining licence had been issued.
Barnes said the Tanbreez mine "contains more than half of the world's rare earth resources" and has 19 million tons of rare earth oxides.
Of these, 30% are highly favored heavy rare earth elements.
Rare earth contains a total of 17 kinds of metal elements, the properties of each metal are different.
Each metal has a unique industrial value.
Some of them are irreplaceable.
They are used, for example, in the manufacture of electric vehicles or wind turbines.
Last year, about two-thirds of Germany ’ s rare earths came from China. Mining such as rare earths is difficult and often harmful to the environment, as rare earths are often associated with iron ore, and the chemical process of refining often requires the use of acidic substances.
What is Rare Earth?
Barnes, owner of Tanbreez Mining, told Economic Weekly that to start mining for rare earths in Greenland, a factory would be needed to separate rare earths from heterosexual rocks.
Currently there are only such factories in Russia and China.
But one such plant will be built in the United States in the coming months.
There are also plans to build a factory in Europe.
Thanks to technological advances, the equipment that separates rare earths currently costs only $40 million.
According to Barnes, China paid 1.7 billion U.S. dollars for the equipment 13 years ago.
In January, Swedish state-owned mining company LKAB announced the discovery of Europe ’ s largest rare earth deposit to date.
But the company said it would take 10-15 years for the rare earth mine, located in Kiruna in northern Sweden, to be available to the market.
EU Plans to Diversify Rare Earth Supply Chain
(Agence France-Presse, Economic Weekly)
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What does Greenland's Tanbreez mine contain?

30% of oxides are highly sought after heavy rare earth metals

Naja Nathanielsen, the Minister of Business, Trade, Mineral Resources, Justice and Gender Equality, signed the memorandum of understanding on behalf of Greenland.

KoBold Metals and BHP will conduct their metal search in western Australia.

Title:

Content: Gates, Bezos-backed AI startup looking for metal, expected to be used in Tesla car batteries
2021 / 9 / 12 13: 29: 46 Source: NetEase Technology Author: Yang Shengzhong Editor: Jiang Ge
On September 12, it was reported that KoBold Metals, an artificial intelligence startup backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has partnered with BHP Billiton, the world ’ s second largest mining group, to find metals for Tesla electric cars.
Kurt House, chief executive of Kobold Metals, said the company would work with BHP to find metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper in Australia.
House also said the three-year partnership could also help get the nickel used in Tesla cars.
In July, BHP signed an agreement with Tesla to supply nickel for the automaker ’ s batteries.
"If we find nickel and cobalt, these supplies are likely to end up being part of the agreement," House said.
We can easily contribute to that in the future, "he said.
“Tesla ’ s technology is great, there ’ s no doubt that they ’ re a leader in the electric vehicle market, ” House said, adding that Kobold Metals ’ goal is to help the entire electric vehicle industry.
Kobold Metals, a private mineral exploration company based in Silicon Valley, uses AI to gather data on where to drill the raw materials used for electric vehicles.
House did not give an exact figure on how much money the two companies might spend on the project, but said they would pay tens of millions of dollars over the next two years.
He disclosed that the exploration will begin in western Australia, covering 500,000 square kilometers of land.
House said the companies chose Australia because the country has the right materials for electric vehicles and high labor and environmental standards.
"We can basically guarantee that any discoveries we make there will be made in an ethical and environmentally friendly way," he said.
According to Kobold Metals, one of the company ’ s major investors is Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a climate and technology fund funded by Gates, Bezos and Bloomberg founder Michael Bloomberg.
House said Gates and Bezos would have an impact on the electric car metal search, but he said he could not disclose how much Gates' fund had invested in the project.
Other investors in Kobold Metals include renowned Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and Norwegian state-owned energy company Equinor.
In August, Kobold Metals said it would invest $15 million with mining company Bluejay to find materials for electric vehicles in Greenland.
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Keywords: Gates Bezos Tesla AI Mine
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