The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has announced that its Saskatoon processing facility has produced rare earth metals at a commercial scale, making Saskatchewan the first and only jurisdiction to do so in North America.

Using in-house developed, state-of-the-art, automated technology in metal smelting, SRC's facility is ready to produce 10 t a month of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr), with purities greater than 99.5% and conversions greater than 98%.

SRC is on track to upscale this production to 40 t a month of rare earth metals by the end of December.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said the facility represented a significant opportunity for Saskatchewan to be a world leader in the area of critical mineral development by establishing a secure and sustainable rare earth supply chain.

In July 2024, SRC finalised tolling agreements with several international clients to convert individual rare earth oxides into metals using metal smelting at SRC's facility. Prior to the facility being fully operational, these tolling agreements allow SRC to demonstrate its technology at a commercial scale with less upfront investment into raw rare earth material.

"SRC's rare earth processing facility is utilising advanced technology and expertise to build a strong, sustainable rare earth supply chain for Canada and our allies," Saskatchewan Minister Responsible for SRC, Jeremy Harrison, said.

"The in-house technology developed by SRC means it is now the only facility in North America producing metals at a commercial scale. This will further advance Saskatchewan's global reputation as a secure supplier of rare earths that the world needs. Production of these metals is important for preserving our national security and growing our provincial economy for decades to come."

Once fully operational in early 2025, SRC's rare earth processing facility will produce approximately 400 t/y of NdPr metals, enough to power 500 000 electric vehicles. Rare earth metals are also essential components for wind turbines, robotics, HVAC systems, elevators and green technologies.

"Since 2020, SRC has aimed to become a global leader in rare earth processing technology and today we've proven out an industry model for future rare earth initiatives and supply chain development," SRC president and CEO Mike Crabtree said. "This achievement is the result of more than 15 years of research and development and now commercialization in rare earths led by world-class experts in rare earth extraction and processing technology."

Since 2020, SRC's rare earth processing facility has received C$71-million in funding from the government of Saskatchewan, as well as C$30-million in combined funding from the government of Canada. This funding has been instrumental in helping SRC construct a vertically and laterally integrated "minerals to metals" facility equipped with state-of-the-art, proprietary technology developed by SRC.