Neodymium

Phoenix Tailings, a New Hampshire refinery, aims to scale production from 200 kg to 120 tonnes of critical rare earth elements within two years using a $500 million Pentagon loan. The expansion targets strengthening the U.S. supply chain for defense and industrial minerals, reducing reliance on China's processing dominance.

The U.S. is accelerating efforts to reduce reliance on China for rare earth minerals critical to defense systems, with Phoenix Tailings in New Hampshire working to extract elements like neodymium and dysprosium from mining waste. A $500 million Pentagon loan aims to expand the company's production capacity, addressing urgent military needs amid the Middle East war depleting munitions stocks.

The US Department of Defense has significantly increased spending on critical minerals like lithium, neodymium, and boron for military applications over the past decade, with $621 million in grants allocated between 2015 and 2025. Indigenous communities report concerns about expedited mining projects on their lands without consultation or environmental safeguards, particularly citing the Graphite Creek Project in Alaska.

China's rare earth shares increased as Beijing addresses output breaches, highlighting China's dominance in the rare-earth market since Deng Xiaoping's prioritization of these elements. This control impacts global trade, job markets, and U.S. national security.

Norway has taken over planning responsibilities for the Fens rare earth mine from the local municipality. The Fens deposit contains the rare earth element neodymium.

Chinese rare earth companies saw stock price increases following a quarterly price hike in neodymium. China's dominance in rare earths, prioritized since Deng Xiaoping's era, has significant global trade and U.S. national security implications.