Rare Earths Americas Targets China's Mineral Monopoly

In a decisive move to secure America's supply chain, Rare Earths Americas has awarded a critical contract for its Alpha project. The company aims to break China's stranglehold on heavy rare earths, a vital component for U.S. defense, technology, and agriculture. This development signals a growing push to bring essential mineral production back to Western shores.

Accelerating the Alpha Project

Rare Earths Americas, also known as REA, has tapped Hatch Ltd. to conduct the Initial Assessment for the Alpha project. This contract falls under S-K 1300, which are the Securities and Exchange Commission's strict mining disclosure rules designed to protect investors and ensure accurate reporting. Hatch is a global management and engineering consultancy with decades of experience in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors.

Hatch brings highly relevant expertise to the table. They have extensive experience supporting technical studies in rare earths, including a specific background in Brazilian ionic adsorption clay rare earth projects. This type of clay deposit is known for being easier and cheaper to process than hard rock minerals, making it a strategic asset for rapid development.

The Initial Assessment will focus on designing an initial mine plan, metallurgy, infrastructure, permitting overviews, and project economics. Hatch will kick off the study with a substantial project review, looking at preliminary evaluations of mine planning and project parameters. This first phase is expected to take 6 to 8 weeks, with the complete assessment anticipated by early 2027.

Urgency in Breaking Foreign Dependency

There is a clear and present need to develop ex-China sources of heavy rare earths. Recognizing this national security imperative, REA isn't waiting around. While the Initial Assessment moves forward, the company will expedite the development of a Pre-Feasibility Study. This includes aggressive in-fill drilling to upgrade the resource from an Inferred classification to Measured and Indicated. Moving to a Measured and Indicated classification gives investors and government partners confidence that the minerals are actually there in the quantities predicted.

REA plans to drill 13,400 meters at the Alpha property over the remainder of the year. This parallel strategy shows a commitment to action rather than bureaucratic delays. It's a refreshing approach for an industry that is critical to American independence and economic security.

Cornerstone of Western Supply

Donald Swartz, the CEO of Rare Earths Americas, made the company's intentions clear. He emphasized the importance of moving quickly to secure these vital resources.