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Northern Minerals chairman and founder
Colin McCavana

The Browns Range pilot plant has been operating for the past two years. Northern Minerals
is currently undertaking a feasibility study on a full-scale beneficiation plant for the project

The heavy rare earth elements identi- of China at this point in time, in relation to we have. Whether it’s Australia or wheth-
fied at Browns Range originate from the how far down the track we are in devel- er it’s overseas, it’s going to be a matter
hard rock xenotime which grades 600- oping our project.” of economics.”
800 ppm dysprosium, substantially high- While the Australian Government has Having said that, Tory cannot help
er than the typical 20-40 ppm achieved long expressed a desire to retain the but be excited by the growing thematic
in China. China controls at least 98% of processing of critical materials entirely around EVs and believes a crunch point
global heavy rare earth production de- within country as soon as possible, Tory is coming where China’s internal de-
spite many of its operations known to be believes such an option is not something mand for rare earths may exceed its cur-
environmentally hazardous. his company will be considering anytime rent supply limitations.
Despite almost a decade in the rare soon. “China dominates the whole down-
earths game under his belt, Tory feels “Our focus right now is on the feasibili- stream industry in relation to EVs and
he is still learning new things each day ty study for the full-scale ‘bene’ plant and they are electrifying very, very quickly,”
about the very complex industry, espe- getting that up and running and operating he said. “They’ve got 100-plus motor ve-
cially anything relating to the “heavy” effectively and efficiently,” he said. “Once hicle manufacturers you’ve never heard
dysprosium and terbium products which that’s up and going efficiently, then we’d the names of, and they are all producing
dominate his company’s “basket”. look at whether the business model we electric vehicles.
“Most of the rare earth companies that have of selling our concentrate is good “In my opinion, their internal demand is
people hear about are all on the light enough or should we be looking further going to equal their supply very soon and
rare earths side, being neodymium and downstream in relation to hydromet and what that means is they will be looking
praseodymium, but there’s not too many separation. after their own internal demand before
out there looking at dysprosium and ter- “I know the Government is really push- any external demand, so I don’t know
bium which actually go into similar prod- ing for downstream processing of a lot where the EV industry outside of China
ucts but in smaller amounts, hence why of different critical minerals, but at the is going to find, in particular, the heavy
they’re of higher value,” Tory said. end of the day, for me as CEO of North- rare earths it needs.
“We are really the only major potential ern Minerals, I’m here to make sure our “The permanent magnets that are
producer [of heavy rare earths] outside shareholders get value for the asset that in the EVs obviously have neodymium
“ We are really the only major potential sure they retain their charge at a higher
and praseodymium, but they also re-
quire dysprosium and terbium to make
temperature, which is obviously very im-
portant to motor vehicle manufacturers.
producer [of heavy rare earths] outside of
I can see that we’re going to be a very
important cog moving forward.”
China at this point in time, in relation to how far
– Michael Washbourne

down the track we are in developing our project.

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