Test to create rare earth element ingots in Saskatchewan successful

A test run at a Government of Saskatchewan-funded three-stage rare earth processing facility, which is still under construction, exceeded expectations, the SRC said.

A test run to create rare earth element ingots in Canada using the Saskatchewan Research Council’s (SRC) Rare Earth Processing Facility was successful.

The facility is still under construction, but Jeremy Harrison, the Minister responsible for SRC, said this shows the value in the investment they made into the building.

“This milestone shows the incredible progress that SRC is making towards a key element of our government’s 2030 Growth Plan and in fact, now actually exceeds that original objective,” said Harrison.

The province added $20 million in funding to the facility back in June, and said these ingots can be used in the development of electric vehicles, wind turbines and electronics.

“SRC is proud to be a world leader in rare earth element processing and separation technologies and now to be able to add metal processing to that list, is an incredible accomplishment,” SRC President and CEO Mike Crabtree said.

The Government of Saskatchewan said this three-stage rare earth processing facility will be the first of its kind in North America, and products from the facility will be available for sale internationally in 2024.

According to the province, the first stage concentrates ore into mixed rare earth element carbonate.

The second stage separates the mixture and creates commercial pure-grade rare earth elements.