Canberra loan backs Nolans rare earths project

The federal government has provided debt financing to the massive Nolans rare earths project, 135 kilometres from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Arafura Rare Earths announced that the federal government would provide conditions debt finance of US$533 million to catalyse the project’s remaining debt raising. As reported in @AuManufacturing, Arafura is advancing enabling works…

Lynas ramps up production at new Kalgoorlie processing facility

Commissioning has been completed and production ramp up is underway at Lynas Rare Earths new Kalgoorlie Rare Earths Processing Facility in Western Australia (pictured). Staff from the company’s Malaysian value-added metals production facility, which has been closed while capacity is increased to 10,500 tonnes of Neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) per annum, are in Kalgoorlie assisting…

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…

Picking winners – yes we do this now in Australia, thankfully

By Peter Roberts I have just been reminded by a former colleague of the bad old days when policy, any policy, favouring manufacturing was seen as protectionism and picking winners. Those times lasted for decades, with the Productivity Commission and the Coalition weaponising the words against manufacturers. My former colleague asked: what government policy is…