Name of the Project

Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex.

Location

England Airpark, in Alexandria, Louisiana, US.

Project Owner/s

Ucore Rare Metals Inc, through its US subsidiary, Ucore North America.

Project Description

The complex is Ucore’s first commercial rare earth element separation and oxide production facility. The project is intended to process mixed rare earth carbonate and mixed rare-earth oxide feedstocks. The facility will use Ucore’s RapidSX separation technology to produce rare-earth oxide products and intermediates. Pending construction completion, commissioning, qualification, funding and permitting, the complex is being designed to process up to about 9 600 t/y of total rare-earth oxide (TREO) contained in qualified feedstocks. The optimised design comprises an initial 600 t/y TREO Machine A and three RapidSX production lines, each capable of processing up to about 3 000 t/y of TREO. The revised configuration reduces the number of planned production lines from four to three while maintaining similar overall throughput. Machine A has been expanded from the previously contemplated 64 RapidSX stages to about 118 stages. This is intended to allow for the direct production of neodymium/praseodymium from conventional mixed rare earth carbonate or mixed REO feedstocks. It will also be able to produce praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, gadolinium, terbium and/or dysprosium from selected partial mixed rare earth carbonate product groups, without the need for interim product holding tanks for successive separations. Production Line 1 is planned to comprise RapidSX Machines 1 and 2 and will be dedicated to processing up to 3 000 t/y of TREO to produce a neodymium/praseodymium product.Machine A will be able to operate independently or be attached to the back end of Production Line 1 to produce a samarium/europium/gadolinium product. Production Lines 2 and 3 are planned to broaden the complex’s multiproduct offering.

Potential Job Creation

The complex is expected to generate about 100 jobs in central Louisiana.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return

Not stated.

Capital Expenditure

The engineered capital cost estimate for Enhanced Machine A and Production Line 1 is $135-million.

Planned Start/End Date

Ucore formally broke ground on the Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex in May 2025. The estimated timeline for completing the installation, testing and commissioning of Machine A is the first half of 2027. Ucore has not provided firm commissioning dates for Production Lines 1, 2 and 3.

Latest Developments

Ucore announced on May 28, 2026, the results of a capital expenditure and capacity engineering report, dated May 27, 2026, prepared by the company’s engineering consortium and led by Orbital Engineering. The report supports an optimised commercial deployment plan for the metals complex. The revised plan provides for an initial 600 t/y TREO Machine A, followed by three RapidSX production lines of about 3 000 t/y
each, for a targeted overall capacity of about
9 600 t/y of contained TREOs.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants

Orbital Engineering (capital expenditure and capacity engineering report).

Contact Details for Project Information

Ucore North America, tel +1 902 482 5214 or email info@ucore.com.