Lynas Rare Earths Limited, together with the Governor of Western Australia, the Hon. Kim Beazley AC, co-hosted a senior European Union (EU) delegation to the Mt Weld mine, near Laverton, last week. The visit was attended by senior representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to Australia and nine EU member states.
Rare earths are critical inputs to the automotive industry and many other high-tech, green technologies and future-facing industries including wind energy, drones and robotics.
As the EU and its major trading partners look towards a low carbon future, the stable and ethical supply of critical minerals, and the products in which they are used, is a key area of focus.
The Mt Weld mine ranks as one of the richest major rare earth deposits in the world. Rare earth oxides are mined and initially processed at Lynas’ Mt Weld Concentration Plant.
The materials are then shipped to the company’s 100-hectare advanced materials plant in Gebeng, Malaysia, where the concentrate is separated and processed to produce high-quality rare earth materials.
CEO and Managing Director of Lynas Rare Earths, Amanda Lacaze, said Lynas was delighted to co-host the EU delegation and showcase their world-class Mt Weld operations.
“The delegation toured the Mt Weld mine and concentration plant and met with members of our team and the local Laverton community. This visit highlights the strategic importance of the Australian minerals sector, to Western Australia and to global manufacturing supply chains, including in the EU,” she said.
The Governor of Western Australia, the Hon. Kim Beazley AC, thanked Ms Lacaze for hosting ‘a tremendous visit to what is effectively the premier rare earth mine in the world’.
“We were able to showcase to a number of EU delegates what a vital minerals province Australia is and how important it will be for the security of global supplies in the next generation of industrial technologies,” the Governor said.
As part of its 2025 growth strategy, Lynas is proposing to construct and operate a rare earths processing facility in Kalgoorlie.
Ms Lacaze added: “As the only scale producer of separated rare earth materials outside China, Lynas Rare Earths is engaged with governments around the world to sustainably address the rare earths supply chain challenge. We look forward to continuing our engagement with the EU and its member states and welcoming them to our new rare earths processing facility in Kalgoorlie once construction is complete.”
The Environmental Review Document (ERD) for the project has been prepared by Lynas and describes the proposal and its likely effects on the environment. Public comment on the ERD is being sought by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and will be used to inform the EPA’s assessment of the proposal. The ERD is available for public review until 7 July 2021.
