By Michael Preuss, Monash University; University of Manchester and Maggie Zhai, RMIT University There has been much excitement since Australia signed a landmark agreement with the United States last month to expand cooperation on critical minerals and rare earth elements. These materials are essential for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and clean energy technologies. The deal…
By Amir Razmjou, Edith Cowan University Critical minerals are having a moment. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is at the White House to talk up Australia’s rich deposits with President Donald Trump. China, which has a global stranglehold on rare earth elements, recently imposed new export restrictions, much to Trump’s annoyance. It’s clear there’s an era…
By Peter Mullner, Boise State University Many modern devices – from cellphones and computers to electric vehicles and wind turbines – rely on strong magnets made from a type of minerals called rare earths. As the systems and infrastructure used in daily life have turned digital and the United States has moved toward renewable energy,…
The federal government announced plans on Thursday to establish a Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve with an initial investment of $1.2 billion, including a $1 billion increase to the existing Critical Minerals Facility. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the initiative would boost Australia’s economic resilience and leverage the country’s abundant resources of critical minerals and rare…
By Marina Yue Zhang, University of Technology Sydney In the escalating trade war between the United States and China, one notable exception stood out: 31 critical minerals, including rare earth elements, were strategically exempted from tariffs. This was not a gesture of goodwill. It was a tacit acknowledgment of the United States’ deep dependence on…
ARE receives $5m grant for rare earths development Australian Rare Earths has received a $5 million grant from the federal government’s International Partnerships in Critical Minerals Program. The funding will support additional metallurgical test work, completion of a pre-feasibility study and building/operating a demonstration plant at the company’s Koppamurra project, a frontier ionic clay rare…
Iluka Resources and the federal government have come to a funding agreement which will see the construction of a rare earths refinery at Iluka’s mine at Eneabba in Western Australia, a key part of the government’s critical minerals and Future Made in Australia plans. Following a positive outcome to the funding discussions on Friday, both…
The Australian government is investing millions in Australia’s critical minerals industry as part of its Future Made in Australia initiative.
SwarmFarm Robotics’ farm robot rolls out of new Toowoomba factory Farm robotic vehicle manufacturer SwarmFarm Robotics has released images (pictured) of the very first SwarmBot as it rolled out of the company’s new manufacturing plant in Toowoomba. SwarmBot is an autonomous platform that can be customised for tasks faced in local crop farming systems. SwarmFarm…
The federal government has announced a $5 million grant to Australian Strategic Materials (ASM), covering up to 50 per cent of a project to identify “alternative, capital efficient and nearer term options” for producing rare earth elements at its Dubbo Project. The funding announced by resources minister Madeline King (pictured in middle) on Tuesday is…