April 9 - USA Rare Earth is evaluating the construction of a permanent magnet production plant in France after agreeing to pay 40 million euros for a minority stake in French rare earth processor Carester, company executives said.
The investment gives USA Rare Earth a 12.5% holding in Carester, which is in the process of building a processing facility in southern France. The same-sized stake will also be acquired by InfraVia, a critical minerals fund that was seeded by the French state, underlining public and private interest in bolstering European capacity for processed rare earth materials.
On an investor call, CEO Barbara Humpton indicated government interest in a potential magnet manufacturing operation in the region, saying "They (the French government) are interested in... supporting a potential USA Rare Earth magnet-making facility in the south of France." Chief Financial Officer Robert Steele described the project as being in initial planning stages and declined to provide a timeline or additional specifics.
As described by the company, the Carester stake forms part of USA Rare Earth's strategy to assemble an integrated rare earths business covering mining, processing and magnet production. The agreement includes 15-year supply and offtake contracts that would permit USA Rare Earth to send material from its Round Top mine in Texas to Carester for processing and to purchase the processed heavy rare earth oxides produced there.
USA Rare Earth previously secured a $1.6 billion debt-and-equity financing package from the U.S. government in January. The company also operates a magnet manufacturing facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma, which is scheduled to begin operations later this year.
Carester's planned French plant is intended to produce heavy rare earths, a class of materials necessary for high-performance permanent magnets and which analysts have highlighted as potentially scarce. Less Common Metals, a UK-based unit of USA Rare Earth that makes rare earth alloys and metals, had already reached an agreement with Carester in May of last year to build a plant in France.
Carester's Caremag processing unit has attracted 216 million euros in financing from Japanese sources and the French state. That unit is forecast to produce 1,400 metric tons of rare earth oxides per year, using inputs from recycled magnets and from mining concentrates.
The company transaction price equivalent was noted as 40 million euros, or about $47 million. The euro-dollar conversion used in the reporting was ($1 = 0.8558 euros).
Context and market sectors affected
- Green energy - Permanent magnets are critical components in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors.
- Electronics - Rare earths are used in a range of electronic devices that rely on high-performance magnets.
- Defense - Heavy rare earths and domestically secured supply chains are relevant to defense manufacturing requirements.
Operational and commercial details
- Stake acquired: 12.5% of Carester by USA Rare Earth for 40 million euros.
- Partner investment: Equivalent 12.5% stake to be purchased by InfraVia.
- Supply terms: 15-year supply and offtake agreements linking Round Top mine output to processing at Carester.
- Production forecast: Caremag unit expected to yield 1,400 metric tons of rare earth oxides annually from recycling and mining concentrates.
What remains unresolved
Executives say the French magnet plant is under initial planning and have not provided a construction schedule or further details. The company declined to specify timelines or related capital commitments at this stage.