USA Rare Earth Launches Demonstration Facility in Colorado

USA Rare Earth announced the commissioning of its hydrometallurgical demonstration facility in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. First production of separated oxides is targeted for the third quarter and is expected to make USA Rare Earth one of the few Western companies capable of delivering strategic heavy rare earth oxides at commercial quality. USAR is building a fully integrated, global rare earth and critical mineral value chain, with embedded optionality for both supply and offtake at each link in the chain. Oxide production is expected to be supplied from a growing number of sources. The resulting oxides are expected to feed Less Common Metals, the company's subsidiary, one of the few commercial-scale metal, alloy and strip cast producers outside of China, which in turn is expected to supply USA Rare Earth's permanent magnet business. The facility has commenced an initial campaign to de-risk three processing flowsheets in parallel: ore from Round Top, third-party mixed rare earth carbonate feedstock - including material from Serra Verde's Pela Ema mine - and rare earth magnet swarf recycling. Insights from the campaigns are expected to underpin the Round Top Definitive Feasibility Study, on track for Q4 completion and Q1 2027 publication, and to guide commercial engineering of the planned on-site Round Top processing facility and the company's anticipated third-party MREC processing and magnet swarf recycling facility.