Eager Asian Allies of the USA Are Keen on Weakening China's Grip on the Market for Rare Earth Minerals
In a significant move towards reducing the United States' dependence on China's rare earth mineral market, the Brook Mine in Wyoming is set to begin operations. The mine, located about 10 miles northwest of Sheridan, contains valuable rare earth minerals such as neodymium, dysprosium, yttrium, and terbium.
The permit authorises coal mining and reclamation activities across over 45-hundred permitted acres north of Sheridan. The mine's most notable feature, however, is the pilot-scale processing facility that will be built to process these rare earth minerals. This facility is a significant step towards reducing the USA's dependence on China, which currently controls 91% of rare earth mineral refining activity, 87% of oxide separation, and 94% of magnet production.
The construction of the pilot-scale processing facility is supported by a $6.1 million Energy Matching Fund grant award, recommended by the Wyoming Energy Authority. Ramaco Resources, the company behind the Brook Mine, has also received backing from friends in Taiwan and Japan, who are eager to help reduce the USA's reliance on China's rare earth mineral market.
Neodymium and dysprosium are crucial for wind turbine magnets, while yttrium and terbium have military uses such as targeting devices. Extracting and purifying these minerals can be challenging due to their mixed nature with other minerals, but recent studies have demonstrated the technical and economic viability of extracting rare earths from the Brook Mine.
The opening of the Brook Mine marks a milestone in Wyoming's mining industry. It is the first coal mine to open in 50 years and the first rare earth mine to open in 70 years. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon stated that the minerals in the Brooks Mine could help reduce the USA's dependence on China's work.
However, the US rare earth supply chain remains in its early stages compared to China's mature dominance. The Mountain Pass mine in California, backed by significant government investments, along with emerging projects like the Brook Mine, are central to US efforts to build a domestic rare earth supply chain, including mineral separation and magnet production capacity.
While the impact of the Brook Mine is currently limited, it represents a potentially important but still emerging alternative supply source within the United States. The mine could potentially help the USA take its future back from China in terms of rare earth mineral production, but this will require continued scale-up and investment to impact the global market balance meaningfully.
Construction of the pilot-scale processing facility at the Brook Mine is planned to begin later this year. As the project progresses, it will be interesting to see how it contributes to strengthening US domestic rare earth supply chains and reducing reliance on China.
Technology advancements in the broader context of the minerals extracted from the Brook Mine could potentially reduce the United States' dependence on China's technology sector, particularly in the areas of wind energy and military technology, given the use of neodymium, dysprosium, yttrium, and terbium in wind turbine magnets and military devices.
Politics surrounding the global rare earth mineral market might evolve as the Brook Mine increases production and the US domestic rare earth supply chain becomes more established, leading to potential shifts in geopolitical alliances and trade agreements related to technology and general news.
