Rare Earths Norway OKs $27 million Fen pilot plant
The investment comes as the EU steps up efforts to cut their dependence on Chinese rare earths and magnets.
Rare Earths Norway has authorized the construction of a €24 million ($27 million) pilot plant in Ulefoss, about 160 km southwest of Oslo, to test processing methods for its Fen project. The facility is set to begin operations in the third quarter of 2027. The investment, totaling €27 million, includes €5.4 million from Innovation Norway and €1.9 million from the Telemark Development Fund.
Rare Earths Norway CEO Håvard Moe stated that this step is crucial in bringing the Fen deposit into production, allowing for validation of the processing route, generation of essential operating data, and supply of rare earth products to European partners. As European Union countries strive to reduce reliance on Chinese rare earths and magnets, the Fen project, which contains neodymium and praseodymium, holds significant importance beyond Norway.
Bernd Schäfer, CEO of the EIT RawMaterials consortium, emphasized the EU's need to address its strategic vulnerability to imported rare earths. Rare Earths Norway aims to start commercial extraction of rare earths in the early 2030s, with the pilot plant testing an integrated route from ore to rare earth oxides, generating data, and supplying products to European partners for trial production.
The Fen project holds 123 million indicated tonnes grading 1.35% total rare earth oxides, with about 1.7 million tonnes of oxides, and inferred resources totaling 1.08 billion tonnes grading 1.31%, containing 14.2 million tonnes.
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