Company Expects $1.6B Funding Support for Rare Earth Business by 2026
The company said, "As it builds a global leader in rare earths, in 2026 the Company expects to: Sign the Definitive Funding Agreement and Definitive Funding Award with the U.S. Government in May 2026: Subject to the achievement of milestones, these agreements would provide access to $1.6B in funding under the Department of Commerce's CHIPS Program. This capital is expected to accelerate and derisk the Company's growth objectives, and support a business that by 2030 we expect to represent the premier domestic heavy rare earth, critical mineral, metal and magnet platform in the United States. Commission the hydrometallurgical demonstration facility in Colorado in Q2 2026: This demonstration facility is expected to run three separate continuous demonstrations, including the Round Top flowsheet, third-party MRE separation, and swarf recycling. These three demonstrations are expected to be complete by the end of 2026, providing oxide product for qualification by potential customers. Further, this demonstration scale data should serve as the basis for commercial engineering of the Round Top project, the third party MREC separation facility, and the swarf recycling facility. Complete the Round Top Definitive Feasibility Study in Q4 2026: This DFS is expected to be completed in Q4 2026 and published in Q1 2027, and is expected to provide the balance of commercial engineering and design and definitive project economics. Reach 600 MTPA of run-rate magnet manufacturing capacity at the Stillwater Facility in Q4 2026: This manufacturing capacity build out is expected to support the Company's growing pipeline of magnet customers across the aerospace, defense, semiconductor, industrial motor, heavy equipment, mobility, healthcare, and energy sectors. Reach 3,000 MTPA of run-rate metal making and alloy capacity at LCM in Q4 2026: This capacity build out is expected to support the Company's internal metal and alloy needs for magnet manufacturing, as well as a growing pipeline of third-party rare earth and critical mineral metal and alloy demand. Investor Day."