Is Australia’s role in critical supply chains as ever – we supply materials, they do value adding

By Peter Roberts Some years into Australia’s newfound awareness of critical mineral supply chains and their importance to electrification and new technologies, have things changed all that much? Mostly, despite the hype of our being a battery or other materials ‘superpower’, Australia still supplies the raw materials and others do the economic value adding in…

Iluka progresses critical rare earths refinery

Iluka Resurces has continued to progress during the latest quarter its rare earths production plant at Eneabba in Western Australia (pictured), the country’s first fully integrated refinery for the production of separated rare earth oxides. Supported by a $1.25 billion non-recourse loan to Iluka under the federal government’s Critical Minerals Facility, bulk earth works and…

Produce rare earth metals, don’t just export ore – Iluka Resources MD

The head of the company developing Australia’s first rare earths metals refinery has urged companies to produce high value rare earth metals locally rather than exporting ores overseas. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Iluka Resources Tom O’Leary told the company’s annual general meeting that the key Australian rare earth resources – neodymium, praseodymium,…