Hastings Rare Metals (ASX: HAS) is in preliminary discussions with a number of parties interested in assisting funding development of its advanced Hastings Rare Earths Project in Western Australia.

The company is investigating a number of options including a strategic alliance, off-take agreements and joint venture proposals.

The Hastings deposit contains predominantly heavy rare earths (85%), such as dysprosium and yttrium, which are substantially more valuable than the more common light rare earths.

“We are particularly excited about the Hastings Project as we progressively achieve the milestones needed to get through feasibility,” technical director Steve Mackowski said.

Work is in progress on further purification to get the individual products such as Niobium and Zirconium to saleable quality.

This will build on Hastings achieving in late 2012 separation between the rare metals, Niobium and Zirconium, the rare earths, and the waste materials in a modified solvent extraction circuit that delivered superior results to those obtained in 1990.

“The medium term market in 2016 and onwards is very positive for heavy rare earths. The supply side is constrained and the demand side is growing rapidly especially for the Hastings’ heavy rare earth product suite,” Mackowski added.

“There is an opportunity for end users to lock in their supply needs and guarantee their long term hi-tech futures. We look forward to helping these hi-tech end users build and maintain the supply chains that will be needed to ensure a better, greener, more energy efficient future.

“It was also pleasing to get recognition of the Hastings rare earth project, as one of the four key rare earths projects in Australia, by one of the REO world’s leading commentators, Jack Lifton. This is a reflection on the resource quality and the development team responsible for the project’s progress.”


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Lynas Corporation Ltd expects demand for its rare earths products to grow over the medium term after beginning production of its first separated rare earths products in Kuantan in the March quarter.

The Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Malaysia has now produced a full suite of rare earths products and is ramping up towards a capacity of 11,000 tonnes a year by the end of the second quarter of 2013, Lynas said in a statement.

The Federal Court of Malaysia last month backed earlier lower-court decisions that dismissed a challenge by environmentalists opposing the company's rare earths refinery in Kuantan.

In its March quarter report, Lynas reiterated its production guidance and said it had appointed Eric Noyrez as chief executive officer at the end of last month.

The company said prices fell 13 per cent compared with the previous quarter, achieving an average Mount Weld basket price of US$37.22 per kg in the first quarter.

At the end of the quarter, 15,593 dry tonnes of concentrate containing 5,540 tonnes of rare earths oxides (REO) were bagged ready for export.

"Lynas has projected rare earths demand to grow at above-GDP rates over the medium term, driven by increases in demand from key sectors such as rare earths permanent magnets, autocatalysts and fluid cracking catalysts," Lynas said.

These three markets are expected to account for around half of global rare earths demand by 2015.

Total costs for projects remain unchanged for the quarter.

By the end of the decade, Lynas predicts supply shortages in some rare earths element markets such as Neodymium/Praesodymium and Lanthanum.

Total staff at the Malaysian site fell to 1,515 at end March, down from 2,300 in mid-December 2012 as the project nears completion.


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A feasibility study on the Nechalacho rare earth elements (REE) project in North America has estimated a C$1.45 billion (US$1.41 billion) upfront capital cost for a mine and refinery.
 
The study assessed the construction of the underground mine, concentrator and hydrometallurgical plant located in Canada’s Northwest Territories, and a C$404 million rare earth refinery in Geismar, Louisiana.
 
The report was prepared for the project’s owner, Avalon Rare Metals Inc by SNC-Lavalin.
 
Over a 20-year mine life, the mine would process 730,000t/y at a cost of C$362.28/t mined to produce 24,712t of enriched zirconium concentrate and 6,810t of separated rare earth oxides.
 
Avalon’s president and chief executive, Don Bubar said: “With the feasibility study in hand, we can now accelerate the process of securing commitments on future product sales and attracting financial partners to participate in the further development of the Project."


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The global rare earth industry is experiencing rare earth prices deterioration which has exacerbated declines in revenues, earnings and share prices of junior minors. Molycorp (MCP), with its heavy concentration of light rare earths ("LREE"), experienced price declines of 30% quarter-over-quarter. The price deterioration does not seem to be abating anytime soon. According to the Motley Fool, it's a wonder that some junior minors are even still in business:

The price of common rare-earth minerals has been dropping since 2011, the year rare earth prices peaked, which is why revenue is slipping. It's a wonder at this point that miners without production, like Rare Element Resources (REE) and Avalon Rare Metals (AVL), are still in business at all. If Molycorp can't make money now that it's in full production, then how could there be enough demand to support all of these companies?

And with new developments such as the vast rare earth oxides found in the Pacific seaboard by Japan last week and in Jamaican mud in January, the supply/demand dynamics may drive prices lower in the future.

Here is an update of junior minors' trading multiples since our last comparable rare earth industry analysis, which includes Molycorp, Lynas Corporation (LYSDY.PK), Avalon, Rare Element, Arafura Resources (ARAFF.PK), Quest Rare Metals (QRM), Great Western Minerals (GWMGF.PK), Montero Mining & Exploration (MXTRF.OB), Frontier Rare Earths (FREFF.PK), Tasman (TAS), Ucore ( ) Hudson Resources (HUDRF.PK), and Matamec Explorations (MHREF.OB).
 

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