Rare Element Resources Named U.S. Department of Energy Funding Recipient for Rare Earth Separation and Processing Demonstration Project
source：Business Wire
LITTLETON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rare Element Resources Ltd. (the “Company”) (OTCQB: REEMF) is pleased to announce that formal notice has been received from the U.S. Department of Energy (“DoE”) that General Atomics, an affiliate of Synchron, the Company’s largest shareholder, along with Rare Element Resources, Inc. (“RER”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, have been selected to enter negotiations in relation to a financial award under the Critical Materials Funding Opportunity Announcement (“FOA”) for the engineering, construction and operation of a rare earth separation and processing demonstration plant.
RER, along with partners General Atomics and affiliates, and LNV, an Ardurra Group, Inc. Company, as engineering and construction subcontractor, submitted a formal proposal to the DoE in response to a published FOA in mid-2020 for the construction and operation of a rare earth separation and processing plant utilizing proprietary technology to produce commercial grade products. The DoE funding represents one-half of the total estimated costs for the project and is contingent upon the negotiation of mutually agreeable documents which is expected to be completed within 60-90 days.
Randall Scott, President and CEO of the Company, stated, “We are very pleased that the Department of Energy has taken decisive action to advance a domestic rare earth supply chain through the Advanced Manufacturing Office’s funding initiatives and now has selected our team’s proposal as a critical materials large scale project. We stand ready to meet all the pre-award requirements to finalize the financial award within the coming weeks. Once this is completed, we will progress our team’s plans for the timely design, construction and operation of the plant, utilizing our proprietary technology.” Mr. Scott added, “This funding evidences the federal government’s commitment to secure an American supply chain as we face Chinese dominance in the rare earth market. The Company remains focused on being the next domestic rare earth producer, and the DoE funding will provide key support to advance this goal through this demonstration project.”
The demonstration plant will process the already stockpiled high-grade ore from RER’s Wyoming Bear Lodge Project. The Company anticipates that, once funding is secured, the demonstration plant design will be finalized and followed by construction within a period of 18-24 months. Operations to process and separate rare earth elements from the stockpiled ore will follow for an additional 12-month period.
Synchron, UIT and General Atomics are privately held companies engaged in the development and production of advanced technology products and systems for the energy and defense sectors.
Rare Element Resources Ltd. is a publicly traded, strategic materials company focused on delivering rare earth products for technology, energy and defense applications by advancing the Bear Lodge Critical Rare Earth Project in northeast Wyoming. Bear Lodge is a significant mineralized district containing many of the less common, more valuable, critical rare earths that are essential for high-strength permanent magnets, electronics, fiber optics, laser systems for health and defense, as well as many technologies like electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210121005305/en/Rare-Element-Resources-Named-U.S.-Department-of-Energy-Funding-Recipient-for-Rare-Earth-Separation-and-Processing-Demonstration-Project