Posted on 12 Sep 2025
US company Energy Fuels and South Korean manufacturer Posco are discussing a supply deal after qualifying a rare earth oxide for use in permanent magnets.
Earlier this year, the pair signed a memorandum of understanding whereby Energy Fuels would provide samples of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide produced at its White Mesa mill, located in the US state of Utah. The samples have passed quality assurance and quality control benchmarks for use in electric vehicle drive unit motors sold to major carmakers, the company said Tuesday.
The NdPr oxide was used to produce NdPr metal, neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) alloy sintered blocks, and NdFeB permanent magnets, Kallanish understands. These will be installed in new vehicles and be available in the marketplace within the next few months, according to a statement.
Energy Fuels adds that this milestone represents “a decisive breakthrough” in building a “mine-to-magnet” rare earth supply chain outside of China, which currently dominates the space, from upstream to downstream production.
The White Mesa mill has a capacity of 1,000 tonnes/year with potential to expand to 6,000 t/y. It started producing heavy rare earth oxides at a pilot scale earlier this year and is due to reach commercial operations in 2026.
Shares in Energy Fuels are up 125% in the year to date.
Source:Kallanish
