Latest news with #rare earth minerals
Japan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Trump team hears pitches on access to Myanmar's rare earths
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has heard competing proposals that would significantly alter longstanding U.S. policy toward Myanmar, with the aim of diverting its vast supplies of rare earth minerals away from strategic rival China, four people with direct knowledge of the discussions said. Nothing has been decided, and experts say there are huge logistical obstacles, but if the ideas are ever acted upon, Washington may need to strike a deal with the ethnic rebels controlling most of Myanmar's rich deposits of heavy rare earths. Among the proposals are one advocating talks with Myanmar's ruling junta to get a peace deal with the Kachin Independence Army rebels and another calling for the U.S. to instead work directly with the KIA without engaging the junta. Washington has avoided direct talks with the country's military leaders following their overthrow of the country's democratically elected government in 2021. The ideas have been proposed to administration officials by a U.S. business lobbyist, a former adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi, in indirect talks with the KIA and some outside experts, the sources said. The conversations have not previously been reported. Rare earths are a group of 17 metals used to make magnets that turn power into motion. What are known as heavy rare earths are used to build fighter jets and other high-performance weaponry. The U.S. produces very small amounts of heavy rare earths and is reliant on imports. Securing supplies of the minerals is a major focus of the Trump administration in its strategic competition with China, which is responsible for nearly 90% of global processing capacity, according to the International Energy Agency. Engaging the junta would be a sharp departure for the United States, given U.S. sanctions on the military leaders and the violence committed against the Rohingya minority that Washington calls genocide and crimes against humanity. Last week, the Trump administration lifted sanctions designations on several junta allies, but U.S. officials said this does not indicate any broader shift in U.S. policy toward Myanmar. The ideas pitched to the U.S. administration also include easing Trump's threatened 40% tariffs on the country, pulling back sanctions against the junta and its allies, working with India to process some heavy rare earths exported from Myanmar, and appointing a special envoy to execute these tasks, people familiar with the matter said. A soldier from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and his comrade cross a stream toward the front line in Laiza, Kachin state, in 2013. | REUTERS Some of these suggestions were discussed in a July 17 meeting in Vice President JD Vance's offices that included Adam Castillo, a former head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar who runs a security firm in the country, a person close to Vance's office said. Among those present were advisers to Vance on Asian affairs and trade. Vance himself did not attend, the source said. Castillo said he suggested to U.S. officials that the United States could play a peace-broker role in Myanmar and urged Washington to take a page out of China's playbook by first brokering a bilateral self-governance deal between the Myanmar military and the KIA. Myanmar's ruling junta and the KIA did not respond to a request for comment. While Vance's office declined to comment on Castillo's visit to the White House, one person familiar with the situation said the Trump administration has been reviewing policy on Myanmar, also known as Burma, since Trump's January inauguration and had weighed direct discussions with the junta over trade and tariffs. The White House declined to comment. Reviewing Myanmar policy The White House discussions were described as exploratory and in early stages by people familiar with them, who added the talks may result in no shift in strategy at all by Trump, given the administration's wariness about intervening in foreign conflicts and in Myanmar's complex crisis. "The officials took this meeting as a courtesy to the American business community and to support President Trump's efforts to balance the U.S. $579 (million) trade deficit with Burma," a senior administration official said when asked about the July 17 meeting. Castillo, who describes Myanmar's rare earth deposits as China's "golden goose," said he told U.S. officials that key ethnic armed groups — particularly the KIA — were tired of being exploited by China and wanted to work with the United States. Mines in Myanmar's Kachin region are major producers of heavy rare earths that are exported to China for processing. Soldiers of KIA man their position at the front line near Mai Ja Yang in Kachin state in 2013. | REUTERS He said he had repeatedly urged officials in Washington to pursue a deal with the KIA that includes cooperation with U.S. partners in the Quad grouping — specifically India — for resource processing and eventual heavy rare earths supply to the United States. What is known as the Quad grouping brings together the United States with India, as well as Australia and Japan. India's Ministry of Mines did not respond to an email seeking comment. An Indian government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was unaware of whether the Trump administration had communicated any such plan to India but stressed that such a move would take several years to materialize because it would require infrastructure to be built for processing rare earths. Another pitch to the White House was more in line with the Myanmar policy Trump inherited from former President Joe Biden. Sean Turnell, an Australian economist and former adviser to Suu Kyi, whose government the junta toppled in 2021, said his rare earths proposal was to encourage the Trump administration to continue supporting Myanmar's democratic forces. In a visit to Washington earlier this year, Turnell said he met with officials from the State Department, the White House National Security Council and Congress, and urged continued support for the country's opposition. "One of the pitches was that the U.S. could access rare earths via KIA etc.," he said, adding that the group wants to diversify away from China. There have also been multiple discussions between U.S. officials and the Kachin rebel group on rare earths through interlocutors in recent months, said a person with knowledge of the talks, which have not previously been reported. Obstacles In the years since the coup, Myanmar has been ravaged by civil war, and the junta and its allies have been pushed out of much of the country's borderlands, including the rare earths mining belt currently under control of the KIA. A rare earths industry source said that U.S. officials had reached out around three months ago, following the Kachin takeover of the Chipwe-Pangwa mining belt, to ask for an overview of the Kachin rare earths mining industry. The person added that any new, major rare earths supply chain, which would require moving the minerals out of remote and mountainous Kachin State into India and onward, may not be feasible. Swedish author Bertil Lintner, a leading expert on Kachin State, said the idea of the United States obtaining rare earths from Myanmar from under the nose of China seemed "totally crazy" given the unforgiving mountainous terrain and primitive logistics. "If they want to transport the rare earths from these mines, which are all on the Chinese border, to India, there's only one road," Lintner said. "And the Chinese would certainly step in and stop it." For its part, the junta appears eager to engage with Washington after years of isolation. When Trump threatened new tariffs on Myanmar's U.S.-bound exports this month as part of his global trade offensive, he did so in a signed letter addressed personally to the junta's chief, Min Aung Hlaing. Min Aung Hlaing responded by lavishing praise on Trump for his "strong leadership" while asking for lower rates and the lifting of sanctions. He said he was ready to send a negotiating team to Washington, if needed. Senior Trump administration officials said the decision to lift some sanctions was unrelated to the general's letter.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Trump covets rare earth riches, but Greenland plans to mine its own business
July 27, 2025 at 7:00 a.m. EDT Just now Trump covets rare earth riches, but Greenland plans to mine its own business Warning: This graphic requires JavaScript. for the best experience. QAQORTOQ, Greenland — It is hard to miss, the looming mass of dark rock at the top of the fjord. There are circling ravens and towering waterfalls, but not a green thing growing on the outcrop. A Mordor vibe. The fisherman cuts the engine. This magic mountain at the southern tip of Greenland contains one of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals on the planet, according to the company that owns the license to mine it. These are the exotic metals that make the 21st century what it is — the raw materials for war and peace, for electric vehicles and wind turbines, for laser-guided missiles and F-35 stealth fighters. Interest in the island's untapped geological riches is soaring, driven in part by President Donald Trump, who has vowed that 'one way or another' the United States must 'get' Greenland, a semiautonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Map 1: Map of Greenland depicting the inland ice sheet and general dimensions North Pole Svalbard I. (NOR.) CANADA GREENLAND (DENMARK) Baffin Bay Atlantic Ocean North Pole Svalbard I. (NOR.) CANADA GREENLAND (DENMARK) Baffin Bay Atlantic Ocean North Pole Svalbard I. (NOR.) CANADA GREENLAND (DENMARK) Baffin Bay Reykjavík Atlantic Ocean North Pole 18th largest island GREENLAND DENMARK Reykjavík ATLANTIC OCEAN CANADA Svalbard I. (NOR.) North Pole 18th largest island GREENLAND DENMARK Reykjavík ATLANTIC OCEAN CANADA Svalbard I. (NOR.) North Pole 18th largest island GREENLAND DENMARK Reykjavík ATLANTIC OCEAN CANADA Map 2: Summer sea surface temperatures and population distribution along the island. North Pole Svalbard I. (NOR.) CANADA Average summer sea surface temperature 30° 60°F Baffin Bay Places scaled by population size Sisimiut 5,502 Tasiilaq Total population: 56,735 2,026 Nuuk 17,592 Paamiut 1,436 Atlantic Ocean Qaqortoq 3,111 North Pole Svalbard I. (NOR.) CANADA Average summer sea surface temperature 30° 60°F Baffin Bay Places scaled by population size Sisimiut 5,502 Tasiilaq Total population: 56,735 2,026 Nuuk 17,592 Paamiut 1,436 Atlantic Ocean Qaqortoq 3,111 North Pole Svalbard I. (NOR.) CANADA Average summer sea surface temperature 30° 60°F Baffin Bay Places scaled by population size Sisimiut Reykjavík 5,502 Tasiilaq Total population: 56,735 2,026 Nuuk 17,592 Paamiut 1,436 Atlantic Ocean Qaqortoq 3,111 North Pole Ittoqqortoormiit 385 Total population: 383,726 Average summer sea surface temperature Reykjavík 30° 60°F Qaanaaq 643 ATLANTIC OCEAN Total population: 56,735 Places scaled by population size Tasiilaq Upernavik 2,026 1,076 Ilulissat 4,613 Aasiaat 3,079 Sisimiut 5,502 Maniitsoq 2,602 Paamiut Qaqortoq CANADA Nuuk 1,436 3,111 17,592 Svalbard I. (NOR.) North Pole Ittoqqortoormiit 385 Total population: 383,726 Average summer sea surface temperature Reykjavík 30° 60°F Qaanaaq 643 Total population: 56,735 Places scaled by population size Tasiilaq Upernavik 2,026 ATLANTIC OCEAN 1,076 Ilulissat 4,613 Aasiaat 3,079 Sisimiut 5,502 Maniitsoq 2,602 Paamiut Qaqortoq Nuuk 1,436 3,111 CANADA 17,592 Svalbard I. (NOR.) North Pole Ittoqqortoormiit 385 Total population: 383,726 Average summer sea surface temperature Reykjavík 30° 60°F Qaanaaq 643 Total population: 56,735 Places scaled by population size Tasiilaq Upernavik 2,026 ATLANTIC OCEAN 1,076 Ilulissat 4,613 Aasiaat 3,079 Sisimiut 5,502 Maniitsoq 2,602 Qaqortoq Paamiut Nuuk 3,111 1,436 CANADA 17,592 Greenland, the world's largest island, lies mostly inside the Arctic Circle; 80 percent of the island is covered in an ice sheet that on average is 1.4 miles deep. Because of warmer Atlantic currents flowing into Baffin Bay, most people live on the island's west side. There are only 75 miles of roads. Most transport is by boat or aircraft. Greenland's inland ice sheet holds 7 percent of the world's fresh water but has faced increased surface melting. Milder conditions could alter the coastal margin where ice, land and sea interact, exposing more bedrock to miners. Greenland's mineral riches have long been known, but new interest in its largely untapped and hard-to-reach critical raw materials has highlighted its potential, especially at its southern tip. Greenland wants to be a mining nation. But it's not much of one — not yet. There are deposits of diamonds, graphite, lithium, copper, nickel, gallium, plus those rare earths with the sci-fi names — like dysprosium, neodymium and terbium. A government-backed ruby mine here went bust. A long-running gold operation was open, then closed, and is now trying to reopen to capture a near-historic peak in the market. Greenland banned uranium mining in 2021; it is enmeshed in a billion-dollar lawsuit over the moratorium. Companies have spent years prospecting, but the projects are seldom launched, because the markets are too soft or the costs too steep, to break ground in a frozen, roadless wilderness with pitiless winters and a tiny workforce. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement 'If you want to build a mine in Greenland, you have to build everything yourself,' said Bent Olsvig Jensen, a managing director at Lumina Sustainable Materials, the only mine now operating in Greenland, which employs fewer than 50 people to extract anorthosite, a silicate mineral — also found on the moon — used for making fiberglass and paints. 'In Greenland, only 1 in a 100 will succeed and they never talk about the 99,' Jensen said. 'No modern mine in Greenland has ever reached profitability.' His goal? 'To break even next year.' The Port of Qaqortoq, on the island's south. The ship Arpaarti Arctica of the Royal Arctic Line delivers supplies to the village of Qassiarsuk. Most transport for towns in Greenland is by boat or aircraft. Whatever the obstacles, Trump has gone full-tilt carrot-and-stick, alternatively threatening Denmark with punishing tariffs while promising to make Greenlanders 'rich.' He has not ruled out the use of military force. Trump is not alone in his covetous gaze. Greenland sits in the middle of the North Atlantic, between Europe and America, whose industries hunger for the rare earth minerals now mostly controlled by China. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Like Trump, Greenlanders say they are looking for deals. If they are ever going to be able to afford their independence from Denmark, they know they need more than a prawn fishery to run a modern economy. They also want tourism and mining. The newly elected prime minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, proclaims the island is 'open for business.' His mining minister told The Washington Post that Greenland is keen for European and American investment — and wary of the Chinese. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's prime minister. The slightly less hostile southern tip of the island has some of the greatest potential, but a visit makes clear why exploiting the area's riches will be difficult, with or without Trump's intervention. An hour's boat ride up the fjords from Qaqortoq lies the site of the proposed Tanbreez mine, the name an acronym based on major materials contained in the intrusion — tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), rare earth elements (REE) and zirconium (Zr). A satellite image of southern Greenland, showing the location of the Tanbreez deposit just north of Qorqotoq Qaqortoq region The average winter temperature is 23°F, while the average summer temperature ranges from 39°F to 50F. Narsarsuaq Detail Qassiarsuk Tanbreez deposit Igaliku Narsaq Qaqortoq Saarloq Access routes The 100-meter-deep natural fjord at Tanbreez, which can contain icebergs, allows ships carrying up to 60,000 metric tons to reach the site. 15 MILES Julianehåb Bay Qaqortoq region The average winter temperature is 23°F, while the average summer temperature ranges from 39°F to 50F. Narsarsuaq Detail Qassiarsuk Tanbreez deposit Igaliku Narsaq Qaqortoq Saarloq Access routes The 100-meter-deep natural fjord at Tanbreez, which can contain icebergs, allows ships carrying up to 60,000 metric tons to reach the site. 15 MILES Julianehåb Bay Qaqortoq region The average winter temperature is 23°F, while the average summer temperature ranges from 39°F to 50F. Narsarsuaq Qassiarsuk Tanbreez deposit Detail Igaliku Narsaq Qorlortorsuaq Hydroelectric Dam Power line Qaqortoq Eqalugaarsuit Ammassivik Saarloq Ship access routes Alluitsup Paa The 100-meter-deep natural fjord at Tanbreez, which can contain icebergs, allows ships carrying up to 60,000 metric tons to reach the site. Julianehåb Bay Nanortalik 10 MILES The purity and emptiness of the site would have looked familiar to the Viking explorer Erik the Red when he arrived here a millennium ago. There is nothing much altered by humans, except for a curious matrix of 440 small circular holes in the outcropping, left by diamond bits that drilled core samples in summers past. The site of the proposed Tanbreez mine is largely unaltered, except for hundreds of small circular holes in the outcropping. Cable used to detonate explosives at the Tanbreez mining site. If the mine opens in the next year or two, as its Australian owners wager, all this could change — and so, too, might Greenland, a former colony sustained by the export of Atlantic cod and the import of Danish welfare services, home to just 57,000 people, most of them Arctic Inuit. But the past indicates the odds of success might be long. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement At last count, Greenland's mining ministry lists 67 active exploration licenses, held by both 'junior' outfits and major mining interests, which give an entity the right to poke holes in the ground and collect samples. Just eight companies hold permits for commercial mining. By comparison, there are 561 active mines in South Africa. The White House says control of Greenland is imperative for U.S. national security. It has become clear the administration is especially focused on the establishment of a new secure supply chain for the critical materials the West needs to make advanced magnets and chips, used in MRI scanners, nuclear submarines and AI computers. 'Greenland is a wonderful place for geology, and it does have plenty of rare earths, which really aren't so rare, but they've been hard to exploit,' said Thomas Kokfelt, senior researcher at GEUS, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland in Copenhagen, whose institute produces the most detailed maps of the ice-covered territory. Rare earth core samples from the Tanbreez site. Kokfelt said that Greenland has deposits of 25 of the 34 minerals considered critical by the European Union and more than two-thirds of the 50 metals deemed crucial by the United States. Geologists estimate that Greenland holds the eighth largest reserves of rare earth elements on the planet, tantalizingly close to U.S. shores. Rare earths became the geopolitical 'it' minerals because today China holds a near-monopoly on them. China extracts an estimated 70 percent of those metals from its own mines and controls more than 90 percent of processing. China sent shock waves through global supply chains when in April — in response to Trump tariffs — it temporarily restricted exports of seven rare earths. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement By comparison, the U.S. — which is a top 10 mining nation alongside China, Russia, Australia and Canada — has just one rare earth mine, on the California-Nevada border. Even there, nearly all the ore extracted from the Mountain Pass mine is shipped to China for processing. There are no rare earth mines in the European Union. Greg Barnes is a 76-year-old geologist from Western Australia who first visited Tanbreez in 1992. 'I was hungover, that's the honest truth,' he told The Post, when he asked his buddy the helicopter pilot to land so he could relieve himself. He still remembers how the earth changed colors when he urinated, as the acidic stream struck the alkaline rock. Barnes called it 'one of the top 10 places a geologist must see before he dies.' Tanbreez just might make him rich. Barnes spent $50 million and more than two decades exploring the site and seeking permission to mine it. He was finally awarded an exploitation license in 2020. He owes the government a plan for how the new mine will pay for its closure and cleanup when its shuts down. Barnes finds this funny because he believes the mine has enough minerals to operate for 1,000 years. During the first Trump administration, his phone rang in the middle of the night in Perth. He was being invited to the White House. He hung up, thinking it a friend was pulling a prank. As it turned out, Barnes briefed officials at the White House in 2019 about Greenland's mineral deposits. He never met Trump — but soon after his visit the president started talking about 'buying' Greenland. A mountain next to the Tanbreez site. This year, Barnes's outfit merged with a company called Critical Metals Corp., run by another high-flying Australian mineral investor named Tony Sage, former owner of the professional soccer team in Perth. Sage called his Tanbreez project 'a game-changing rare earth mine for the West.' The deposit is immense: 15 square kilometers and 300 meters deep. The mine could be worth $3 billion in the initial phase, according to a preliminary economic assessment done by an independent contractor, who estimated it would cost $200 million to ready the site and begin to exploit it. There is no guarantee Sage can raise that much money. To extract the minerals, Critical Metals will have to start from nothing. It must build an open pit quarry, roads, a processing plant, housing for 60 workers, alongside a floating deepwater port to handle the dozen cargo ships a year to ferry the minerals to Europe, North America or wherever. A perspective map of the Tanbreez mining site The potential open mining site is characterized by relatively high and steep mountains and the long, narrow Kangerluarsuk Fjord. The port and most infrastructure would be located near the head of the fjord. 3,448 feet 2,929 feet Planned roads Upper pit Plant site Port Lower pit The lower pit would be mined first. The upper pit would not start until more than five years into operations. The potential open mining site is characterized by relatively high and steep mountains and the long, narrow Kangerluarsuk Fjord. The port and most infrastructure would be located near the head of the fjord. 3,448 feet 2,929 feet Planned roads Upper pit Plant site Lower Port pit 2,509 feet The lower pit would be mined first because of its proximity to the coast and facilities. Mining the upper pit would not start until more than five years into operations. The landscape at the potential open mining site is characterized by relatively high and steep mountains and the long, narrow Kangerluarsuk Fjord. The port and most processing infrastructure would be located near the head of the fjord. 3,448 feet Planned roads 2,929 feet Power line The lower pit would be mined first because of its proximity to the coast and facilities. Mining the upper pit would not start until more than five years into operations. Upper pit Plant site Lower pit Port 2,509 feet Kakortokite is a layered igneous rock that has high concentrations of rare metals and rare earth elements. Unlike other similar deposits, Tanbreez has low levels of radioactive elements. The landscape at the potential open mining site is characterized by relatively high and steep mountains and the long, narrow Kangerluarsuk Fjord. The port and most processing infrastructure would be located near the head of the fjord. 3,448 feet The mining site lies 1.2 miles from existing hydroelectric infrastructure. Planned roads 2,929 feet Power line The lower pit would be mined first because of its proximity to the coast and facilities. Upper pit Mining the upper pit would not start until more than five years into operations. Plant site Lower pit Port 2,509 feet Waste rock (tailings) would be hauled to Fostersø Lake, which is devoid of fish. Kakortokite is a rare, layered igneous rock that has high concentrations of rare metals and rare earth elements. Unlike other similar deposits, Tanbreez has low levels of radioactive elements. The landscape at the potential open mining site is characterized by relatively high and steep mountains and the long, narrow Kangerluarsuk Fjord. The port and most processing infrastructure would be located near the head of the fjord. 3,448 feet The mining site lies 1.2 miles from existing hydroelectric infrastructure. Planned roads Kakortokite is a layered igneous rock that has high concentrations of rare metals and rare earth elements. Unlike other similar deposits, Tanbreez has low levels of radioactive elements. 2,929 feet The lower pit would be mined first because of its proximity to the coast and facilities. Mining the upper pit would not start until more than five years into operations. Power line Upper pit Plant site Lower pit Port 2,509 feet Waste rock (tailings) would be hauled to Fostersø Lake, which is devoid of fish. The landscape at the potential open mining site is characterized by relatively high and steep mountains and the long, narrow Kangerluarsuk Fjord. The port and most processing infrastructure would be located near the head of the fjord. 3,448 feet The mining site lies 1.2 miles from existing hydroelectric infrastructure. Planned roads 2,929 feet Kakortokite is a layered igneous rock that has high concentrations of rare metals and rare earth elements. Unlike other similar deposits, Tanbreez has low levels of radioactive elements. Power line The lower pit would be mined first because of its proximity to the coast and facilities. Mining the upper pit would not start until more than five years into operations. Upper pit Plant site Port Lower pit 2,509 feet Waste rock (tailings) would be hauled to Fosterso Lake, which is devoid of fish. Drew Horn, who served as chief of staff for the Office of International Affairs at the Energy Department during the first Trump administration, has visited the site. Horn is now CEO of a company called GreenMet, which calls itself 'the new American conduit between private capital, government, and critical mineral innovation.' Sage and Barnes confirmed that U.S. officials — whom they declined to name — told Barnes he should not bring in Chinese partners. Sage said he believes that Trump ultimately will get what he wants, which is not ownership of Greenland but favored access to mining deals that benefit U.S. manufacturers and defense contractors. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement To that end, Sage's company in June received a 'letter of interest' from the U.S. Export-Import Bank for a loan of up to $120 million to fund the opening of Tanbreez. This would mark the Trump administration's first overseas investment in a mining project under the bank's new Supply Chain Resiliency Initiative, designed to compete with China by building markets for rare earth elements with 'trusted partner countries.' Asked whether Critical Metals was an American company, Sage replied, 'That's a good question.' The company is traded on the Nasdaq and run by Australians, with additional funding from Wall Street investment banks, including Cantor Fitzgerald, he said. Trump's commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, is a former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald; upon joining the administration he agreed to divest his business interests in his old company. Fishermen in the Tunulliarfik Fjord. Southwestern Greenland, where the mine would be, supports a robust fishing industry as well as scattered sheep farms. Cod in the fjord near the Tanbreez site. The mine is in southwestern Greenland, which supports a robust fishing industry as well as scattered sheep farms. Even in such an isolated place, there is some opposition. Asked whether he wanted to see mining on the Kangerluarsuk Fjord, the fisherman who ferried Post journalists to the site, Nuka Mark Nielsen, said simply: 'No.' On a good day, working his baited longline, Nielsen can fill his boat with fat cod coming to spawn. The fjord supports 10 families, he said. He is worried the noise and the shipping will scare away the fish. Two hours north by boat, outside the small settlement of Qassiarsuk, Sori Paviasen was working alongside her father-in-law, building a small house for her sister on a family farm with 440 sheep. 'Mining is good for the government, because they want the money,' Sori Paviasen said. 'But is it good for Greenland farmers?' Paviasen said she is wary of the pollution that mining might bring. 'Mining is good for the government, because they want the money,' Paviasen said. 'But is it good for Greenland farmers?' There were 31 sheep farms in southern Greenland a few years ago, she said. There are 25 now. The farmers are challenged by rising costs for imported feed and fertilizer, low lamb prices and extreme weather — more rain, early snow — brought on by climate change. Greenland's mining minister, Naaja Nathanielsen, said in an interview that Greenland is 'a pro-mining country' and 'we are a pro-mining people,' that her government understands that the West needs a secure supply chain of rare earth metals, and that Greenland needs to develop its economy. The village of Qassiarsuk, near the Tanbreeze mine. There were 31 sheep farms in southern Greenland a few years ago, Paviasen said. There are 25 now. The minister offered a pragmatic vision of Greenland. 'I do think in 20 years we will have six or seven active mines at any one time, a mix of smaller and bigger mines,' Nathanielsen said. 'We don't need to be the greatest mining country in the world. To run a small country and a small economy like ours, we need a good stable income over time that benefits the people and protects the environment.' Karklis reported from Washington. About this story Map sources: March 2025 technical assessment report from Critical Metals Corp., Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Danish Climate Data Agency, Danish Mineral Resources Authority, National Snow and Ice Data Center, ArcticDEM-Polar Geospatial Center and ESA.
The Standard
20-07-2025
- Science
- The Standard
China's exports of rare earth magnets to the U.S. skyrocket in June
Samples of rare earth minerals from left, Cerium oxide, Bastnasite, Neodymium oxide and Lanthanum carbonate are on display during a tour of Molycorp's Mountain Pass Rare Earth facility in Mountain Pass, California June 29, 2015. REUTERS/David Becker/File Photo
Forbes
17-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
DoD Is The Largest Investor In Only American Rare Earth Mineral Mine
Rare earth and critical minerals are essential to powering today's modern and digital world Under the 1933 Buy American Act and the 1941 Berry Amendment, the United States military is generally required to buy American-made products. The laws further prioritize domestic sourcing for goods, and that products for military use contain a certain percentage of U.S. components and materials. Where that has been a problem is in the increasingly reliance on components that require rare earth minerals, which the United States has a limited supply of, while upwards of 70% are imported from China. To help address the issue, the U.S. Department of Defense announced last week that it had acquired a 15% stake in the MP Materials mine, becoming the company's largest shareholder. MP Materials, the operator of the only American rare earths mine, received a $400 million investment from the Pentagon, which will help fund the processing capabilities at its Mount Pass, California, facility and enable the construction of a second magnet manufacturing plant. "It's strategically important for the Pentagon to ensure that its Tier 1 industrial base has access to U.S.-sourced rare earth metals and magnets," explained David Argyle, CEO of REalloys Inc., a company focused on the production of rare earth elements and high-performance magnet materials. "The MP DoD transaction provides a very healthy base load of supply to meet demand," Argyle added, but acknowledged that additional US sources need to be available commencing in 2026, 2027, and beyond. Greater Investment Is Needed There has already been speculation that President Donald Trump could use emergency powers to allow the United States to gain greater control over domestic industries and resources. The Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law that grants the president significant emergency authority to control domestic industries, was invoked by Trump during his first term and by former President Joe Biden during the pandemic. However, investments are also needed, suggested Brandon Daniels, CEO of AI supply chain company Exiger. "Critical minerals are the lifeblood of our defense capabilities. Everything from specialized engine components for high heat environments to navigation systems demands rare earth minerals at the beginning of the supply chain," said Daniels. "It's a national security imperative that the defense department use its resources to create sustainable independent streams of these resources." The $400 million investment shouldn't be seen as too little or too late. "The Pentagon is doing this because it's not always economically viable to invest the capital expenditure at the beginning of the process, and the U.S. ought to accelerate its access to these minerals," added Daniels. Such strategic investment in rare earths and critical minerals is a crucial step in securing our domestic supply chain and enhancing national security. Still, it is just part of the solution. "The defense industry depends on these strategic materials for everything from weaponry, base operations, to communications and other additional technologies," noted David Klanecky, CEO of lithium battery recycling firm Cirba Solutions. "Investment by the Department of Defense demonstrates a prioritization of this key market, brings urgency to the sector, and underscores the importance of developing a reliable supply at home rather than depending on raw material imports from foreign entities of concern." Waste Not, Want Not Without stable access to rare earths and critical minerals, our national security is at significant risk. To this end, the U.S. military needs to be far less disposable. As with consumer products that end up in landfills, a vast amount of valuable materials is never harvested and reused. "It is also important to look at the supply chain holistically and invest in all domestic manufacturing," Klanecky added. "For example, battery recycling can significantly boost domestic production and refinement of critical minerals, and it is one of the most immediate and scalable ways to secure supply and keep valuable materials in circulation in the U.S. long after they've been extracted." More Efforts Need To Be Made The $400 million investment by the Pentagon should be viewed as a positive first step, but it is far from resolving a problem that has been decades in the making. "The one mining project won't be enough to fulfill all demand for all rare earths that are used in advanced technologies," warned Daniels. "But it is a big step in the right direction," Daniels continued. "Between this type of mining and the advancements in recycling, we can achieve independence for many of our most critical rare earths. For instance, with coal ash leaching in the United States, we could generate enough germanium to supply all of our Semiconductor, Photovoltaic, and Fiber Optic cable needs." The growing need for rare earths is just one of several problems that the Pentagon faces, along with manufacturing supply chain challenges, an aging workforce at America's shipyards, and cost overruns on nearly all its programs. However, the demand for rare earths needs to be taken as seriously as the other issues, yet there is no easy solution. "Rare earth and critical minerals are essential to powering today's modern and digital world. Meeting the growing demand for these materials will require a comprehensive strategy that includes investment, partnerships, and an overall diversified approach across extraction, refinement, and recycling," said Klanecky. "Taking this holistic view of the supply chain is necessary if the U.S. wants a long-term solution to creating a stable domestic supply and enabling the country to achieve national security goals."
South China Morning Post
15-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Apple to buy rare earths from Pentagon-backed US producer MP in US$500 million deal
Apple has struck a US$500 million deal to buy rare earth minerals from MP Materials, the US producer that just last week secured backing from the Pentagon. The two companies will build a factory in Texas, with neodymium magnet manufacturing lines tailored for Apple products, the iPhone maker said Tuesday in a statement. Apple said the spending on rare earth minerals is part of its earlier pledge to invest more than US$500 billion in the US over the next four years. Shares of MP Materials surged as much as 18 per cent in New York to the highest intraday price since April 2022, while Apple's stock rose as much as 1 per cent. Fox News reported some details on the supply deal earlier on Tuesday. The world's dependence on China for rare earth permanent magnets that are essential for consumer tech, cars, wind turbines and fighter aircraft has become a flash point in the US trade war with the Asian nation. After the Trump administration imposed 145 per cent tariffs on China, boasting that it had the upper hand, Beijing turned the tables by essentially shutting down exports of the critical component. MP Materials operates the sole US rare earth mine at Mountain Pass in California.
