Modern Mining December 2021

RARE EARTHS

COP26 resolutions bode well for rare earths The resolution that follows the discussions of COP26 will be a crucial factor in the dramatic increase of sustainable forms of energy production. With its Palaborwa Rare Earths Project in South Africa, Rainbow Rare Earths is well positioned to meet the anticipated demand and supply gap for rare earth elements used to make compact high-strength permanent magnets used in the motors of hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as wind turbines pow- ering the ‘greener’ electrification era for the international community. By Munesu Shoko .

T he 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) recently closed with the adoption – by consensus of nearly 200 countries – of the Glasgow Pact, which seeks to increase climate ambition and action by keeping the target of 1,5 °C alive, as well as finalising the outstanding elements of the Paris Agreement. Importantly, the deal struck has codified new rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the gradual phasing down of fossil fuel consumption and the reduction of the global carbon market. Key to achieving this will be the advancement of the green revolution, which aims to massively curtail the use of Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) and facilitate the greater utilisation of renewable energies and widespread adoption of green technology. These low-carbon greener technologies, however, have an intensive mineral demand. Central to demand Central to this demand are Rare Earth Elements (REE) – in particular, Neodymium and Praseodymium (‘NdPr’) and Dysprosium (‘Dy’), which are used to make compact high-strength permanent magnets used in the motors of hybrid and electric vehicles

(EVs) and wind turbines powering the greener elec- trification era for the international community. The permanent magnets are also used in aerospace and the defence industries’ satellite tech- nology, and, across their varied sector uses, directly impact between US$5-trillion to US$10‑trillion in global GDP. As a result, with the projected demand for REE expected to increase as much as 10 times between 2030 and 2040, they have been des- ignated as critical and strategic metals by the US Federal Department of the Interior, the Government of China, and the EU Parliament, as they promote a drive toward greater raw material security and sustainability. To put this into the UK context, in their letter to the Committee on Climate Change, leading UK scientists noted that, in order to replace all UK-based vehicles with EVs, at least 7 200 tonnes (t) of neodymium and dysprosium would be needed, requiring a 70% increase in annual production. While rare earths are not rare from a geological perspective, they are not commonly found in eco- nomically viable concentrations, and, in addition to being generally low grade, often have high levels of radioactivity owing to the presence of thorium, which increases processing requirements and heightens

George Bennett, CEO of Rainbow Rare Earths.

The gypsum stacks at the Phalaborwa Rare Earths project.

12  MODERN MINING  December 2021