Critical North American Rare Earths Supply Chain Ⅴ: SE Alaska Complex

Earlier this month, Ucore's plans to begin supplying rare earths to the North American supply chain took a major step forward when the rare metals mining and technology company signed a memorandum of agreement with the Southeast (SE) Alaska Conference to evaluate and potentially develop a natural resource development complex to host the Alaska SMC.

"The establishment of the MOA between Ucore and the Southeast Conference is an important moment in the development of the Alaska SMC, and it is just one of many partnerships Ucore envisions for the U.S. and its allies as they advance toward a strong and independent rare earth supply chain," Schrider said.

Founded in 1958 to advocate for a transportation network that would eventually become the Alaska Marine Highway System, the Southeast Conference has a long history of supporting a strong economy, healthy communities and a quality environment in Southeast Alaska.

As the federally and state-recognized development organization for Southeast Alaska, the Southeast Conference is investigating the potential to use federal economic development grants to fund an industrial park that would house Ucore's Alaska SMC and have space available for other natural resource projects.

“This partnership with Ucore as the anchor tenant of the natural resource development complex will stimulate complementary growth in the mineral sector and attract other types of resource extraction entities that will benefit from the direct and indirect commercial and physical infrastructure improvements created by the development of the Alaska SMC," said Robert Venables, executive director of the Southeast Conference.

The natural resource development complex will be sited based on its role for its primary customers, as well as other economic development opportunities in southeast Alaska.

Ucore has long considered Ketchikan to be an ideal location for SMC in Alaska because of the port city's workforce, infrastructure and proximity to Ucore's Bokan rare earths project on Prince of Wales Island.

The Dotson Ridge deposit in Bocan is located approximately 35 miles from Ketchikan and hosts approximately 31,722 metric tons of rare earth oxides, 17,715 metric tons of titanium dioxide, 9,001 metric tons of zirconium, 2,205 metric tons of niobium, 464 metric tons of vanadium, 231 metric tons of beryllium and 178 metric tons of hafnium in the indicated category.

While Alaska SMC will initially process rare earth-bearing feedstock from third-party suppliers, Ucore eventually plans to use the facility to separate rare earths as well as other key minerals mined from Bocan.

At the same time, however, the construction of the Alaska SMC in Ketchikan is also well suited for processing carbonate rare earth from Vital's Saskatoon plant, which can be shipped by rail to Prince Rupert on the west coast of British Columbia and then by a 115-mile ferry to Ketchikan.

Ketchikan is considered an ideal location for Ucore Rare Metals' Alaska Strategic Metals Complex because of the southeast Alaska port city's proximity to the Bokan Rare Earth Project and other emerging rare metals supply chains in North America.

In turn, the individual rare earths coming out of SMC Alaska can be easily delivered to North American manufacturers of electric vehicles, wind turbines, high-tech equipment and a growing number of other households, industrial and military products that benefit from the unique properties offered by these elements.

“Our real purpose here is to help build that supply chain in the U.S.," Schrider said. “The REE supply chain that Ucore and Vital are working to establish is just one of many that need to be built to meet the massive demand created by the current shift to electric vehicles,” he said.

We recognize that what we're doing is critical to the future, and it's not just us, it's going to require a total U.S. effort that's all geared toward the same goal," Ucore Rare Metals' chief operating officer told Mining News.

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