[SMM Rare Earth Bulletin] Chilean rare earth producer Aclara Resources announced that its rare earth separation pilot plant in Blacksburg, Virginia, has commenced operations. The plant sources mixed rare earth carbonate from the company’s ionic clay deposits in Brazil and Chile, and is designed to produce dysprosium, terbium, and Pr-Nd. It is expected to produce light rare earth oxides for the first time in May 2026 and heavy rare earth oxides in August.

As supply and demand for construction steel were not fully matched across different markets, regional supply-demand mismatches created price differentiation, which in turn drove the cross-regional circulation of steel resources. When the regional price spread gradient was appropriate, regions with surplus construction steel capacity and production often shipped excess resources out, thereby rebalancing construction steel resources across regions.

[SMM Rare Earth Bulletin] Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and US President Trump reached an agreement under which both sides will strengthen cooperation on critical minerals to enhance supply chain resilience. The two countries signed a preliminary agreement to jointly develop deep-sea mineral resources, including rare earth-rich mud resources around Minamitorishima. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Department of Commerce will establish a working group to advance technical cooperation on projects involving rare earth mud and manganese nodules. In addition, Mitsubishi Materials is cooperating with US-based ReElement Technologies on a project in Indiana to recycle rare earths from waste magnets.

On March 23, Youngy Co., Ltd. issued an announcement stating that the company has approved a proposal to invest in the construction of an annual 50,000-ton high-performance lithium-ion battery anode material project, with a total fixed asset investment of approximately 1.1 billion yuan. The project will be implemented in Lanzhou New Area by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lanzhou Youngy Materials Technology Co., Ltd. Lanzhou Youngy Materials completed its industrial and commercial registration in December 2024. As early as May 2025, it signed a "State-Owned Construction Land Use Rights Transfer Contract" with the Lanzhou New Area Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, acquiring 208,451.60 square meters of industrial land in Lanzhou New Area for a transfer price of 49.77 million yuan.

Goiás State in Brazil holds the largest rare earth reserves in Brazil and is currently advancing the signing of a major minerals cooperation agreement with the US. Goiás Governor Ronaldo Caiado has signed a preliminary agreement to work with the US to jointly develop the state's abundant rare earth resources.

On March 20 in Beijing, the Department of Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology organized relevant enterprises, including China Resources Recycling Group and Guangdong Brunp Recycling Technology Co., Ltd., as well as research institutions such as the China Automotive Technology and Research Center and the CCID Research Institute, to discuss work related to building a recycling and utilization system for retired power batteries from NEVs. The meeting conducted an in-depth analysis of the current situation facing the development of the NEV power battery recycling and utilization system, and held serious discussions on issues including innovating policy supply, improving recycling mechanisms, and refining the standards system. The participating representatives unanimously stated that they would integrate local and enterprise practices, build consensus and synergy, carry out in-depth research on major issues in the development of an integrated recycling network, strengthen policy reserves, and accelerate the improvement of the NEV power battery recycling and utilization system.