SASKATOON — The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) Rare Earth Processing Facility located in Saskatoon is ahead of schedule and produced rare earth metals at a commercial scale in summer 2024.

According to SRC, Saskatchewan is the first and only jurisdiction to do so in North America.

Using in-house developed, state-of-the-art, automated technology in metal smelting, SRC’s facility is ready to produce 10 tonnes of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) metals per month, according to the organization

The facility produces purities greater than 99.5 per cent and conversions greater than 98 per cent. SRC says it is on track to upscale this production to 40 tonnes of rare earth metals per month by the end of December 2024. 

In July 2024, SRC finalized tolling agreements with several international clients to convert individual rare earth oxides into metals using metal smelting technology at SRC’s Rare Earth Processing Facility. Before the facility being fully operational, these tolling agreements allow SRC to demonstrate its technology at a commercial scale with less upfront investment into raw rare earth material. 

Once fully operational in early 2025, SRC’s Rare Earth Processing Facility will produce approximately 400 tonnes of NdPr metals per year, enough to power 500,000 electric vehicles. Rare earth metals are also essential components for wind turbines, robotics, HVAC systems, elevators and green technologies.

“Since 2020, SRC has aimed to become a global leader in rare earth processing technology and today we have proven out an industry model for future rare earth initiatives and supply chain development,” SRC President and CEO Mike Crabtree said.

“This achievement is the result of more than 15 years of research and development and now commercialization in rare earths led by world-class experts in rare earth extraction and processing technology.” 

Since 2020, SRC’s Rare Earth Processing Facility has received $71 million in funding from the Government of Saskatchewan, as well as $30 million in combined funding from the Government of Canada. Contributors say this funding has been instrumental in helping SRC construct a vertically and laterally integrated “minerals to metals” facility, equipped with state-of-the-art, proprietary technology developed by SRC. 

SRC is Canada’s second-largest research and technology organization, providing services and products to its 1,400 clients in 22 countries around the world for more than 77 years.