Energy Fuels Performs Commercial-Scale Rare Earth Separation

Energy Fuels has conducted three commercial shipments of uranium, vanadium, and rare earth elements (REEs) through its White Mesa, Utah, facility for commercial-scale partial rare earth separation in the United States.

The company shipped natural uranium concentrate (U₃O₈) to the Metropolis Works uranium conversion facility in Illinois, vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) to Bear Metallurgical in Pennsylvania, and REE carbonate to Neo Performance Materials' Silmet plant in Estonia.

The REE carbonate was partially separated at the White Mesa plant prior to delivery, a step the company says is the "first commercial-scale rare earth separation to occur in the U.S. since at least the early 2000s."

"We are currently producing a commercial-scale rare earth material that is more advanced than any other company in the United States," said Mark S. Chalmers, the company's chief executive officer. Chalmers said, "We only announced our entry into rare earths in April 2020, and we've been able to move so quickly thanks to the existing licenses, expertise, and infrastructure we have in place."

Energy Fuels says the White Mesa plant near Blanding in San Juan County is the only conventional uranium, vanadium, and rare earth recovery facility in the United States. It has a licensed capacity of more than 8 million pounds of U₃O₈ per year.

The plant shipped 15 key elements, including cerium, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, dysprosium, terbium, yttrium, and erbium, as well as uranium and vanadium, to downstream processing facilities during the week of April 4.

The REE carbonates destined for Silmet contain 32 to 34 percent neodymium and praseodymium and are refined for use in electric vehicles, Chalmers said. Vanadium destined for Pennsylvania will be converted to ferrovanadium for use in high-strength steel and other alloys, while uranium concentrate will be used to produce carbon-free electricity.

Prices for these three metals have risen over the last year as countries have stepped up to meet their decarbonization goals. In addition to the mill, Energy Fuels owns the Nichols Ranch uranium recovery facility in Wyoming, which has a licensed capacity of 2 million pounds of U₃O₈ per year, and the Alta Mesa Project in Texas, which is also a fully licensed uranium production facility with a licensed capacity of 1.5 million pounds of U₃O₈ per year, both of which are currently on standby.

Energy Fuels is the leading U.S. producer of uranium – the fuel for carbon- and emission-free nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is expected to see strong growth in the coming years, as nations around the world work to provide plentiful and affordable energy, while combating climate change and air pollution.

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