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Rare Element Resources Joins the Critical Materials Institute – A Department of Energy Initiative to Help Ensure a Secure Rare Earth Supply for Evolving Clean Energy Technologies

by User Not Found | Sep 08, 2014
Rare Element Resources is asked to join the Critical Materials Institute (CMI). CMI is a Department of Energy initiative to help ensure a secure rare earth supply for evolving clean energy technologies.

September 8, 2014 – Lakewood, Colorado - Rare Element Resources Ltd. (the “Company”)(NYSE MKT: REE and TSX: RES), a mineral resource company advancing development of the Bear Lodge Critical Rare Earth Project (the “Project”) located in northeast Wyoming, is pleased to announce that it has joined the Critical Materials Institute (CMI) as an affiliate member.  CMI is a major initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is recognized as the nation’s premier research, development and deployment institute for critical elements, their alloys and compounds.  The CMI team is led by The Ames Laboratory, Ames, Iowa, and consists of scientists and engineers from four national laboratories, seven universities and six other industry partners.  CMI is working to address the issue of criticality with certain rare earths and other elements that it believes might hinder the development and commercialization of clean energy technologies within the United States.  CMI has long-term goals of eliminating supply chain fragilities of certain rare earths and other materials, which included diversifying the sources of critical materials.  

“CMI has assembled an excellent team with the best and the brightest talents and research platforms in the rare earth field,” said Randall J. Scott, President and Chief Executive Officer.  “Working together, we believe the public and private sector can successfully re-establish a complete, domestic rare earth supply chain to eliminate many of the issues relating to our current dependence on foreign sources for the vast majority of U.S. rare earth supplies.  Rare Element Resources is pleased to have been invited to join CMI and to have the opportunity to contribute to these efforts and to help build a better tomorrow by ensuring the continued success of clean energy technologies.”

The rare earth elements designated “critical” by the DOE include neodymium, europium, terbium, dysprosium and yttrium.  Rare Element Resources’ Bear Lodge Project is expected to generate approximately 70% of its revenues from these five elements, based on projections in its pre-feasibility study completed in August 2014.  The Company has developed proprietary processing technology that has produced a 97+%, near-thorium free, total rare earth concentrate in multiple pilot plant tests.  Bear Lodge is the most advanced rare earth development project in the United States.  The U.S. Forest Service is currently developing an Environment Impact Statement on the Project with the draft expected in the first quarter of 2015.  

Please see CMI’s website at https://cmi.ameslab.gov/ for additional details on its mission and members.

Rare Element Resources Ltd. is a publicly traded mineral resource company focused on exploration and development of rare-earth element deposits, specifically those with significant distribution of critical rare earths.  The Company is advancing development of the Bear Lodge Project, located in northeast Wyoming.  Bear Lodge is a significant mineralized district containing many of the less common, more valuable critical rare earths that are essential for electronics, fiber optics, laser systems for health and defense, as well as many evolving green technologies, like hybrid cars, solar panels and wind turbines. Permitting and feasibility work on the Project continue to advance. 

For additional information, please visit the Company’s website at www.rareelementresources.com or contact Robbin Lee at 720-278-2462 or rlee@rareelementresources.com.

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Rare Element Resources
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Rare Element Resources
Technology Fact Sheet

Most Recent Presentation
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Technical Report Summary on Bear Lodge REE Project

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Open House – October 09, 2023

State and community leaders joined Senator Barrasso, Neal Blue and Brent Berg with the ceremonial groundbreaking shovel

Ceremonial groundbreaking with Senator Barrasso, state and community leaders, Neal Blue (GA) and Brent Berg (RER) 

The Company and General Atomics (GA), supported by state and community leaders, celebrated a ceremonial groundbreaking for their rare earth demonstration plant.

The presentation at the Open House made by Mr. Berg can be found here.

For a summary of the event, please click here.

Please click here to see a video replay from the Newcastle News Letter Journal of the event.

CEO Corner

Commentary from Kelli Kast,
Interim President, CEO and Director

Continuing Our Progress

As I step into the role of Interim President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) for the coming weeks, I do so with confidence that we will seamlessly continue on the path the Board has set for us of progressing construction of the demonstration plant toward operations this summer, and in continuing to build awareness of the Company, the Bear Lodge Project, and the importance of establishing a secure domestic rare earth supply chain.

Please click here to read full content

Please click here to see appointed President and CEO Ken Mushinski's bio

Demo Plant Construction Update (2/20/24)

Utility Upgrades

Utilities Being Upgraded

Services to the site are being upgraded, including power, water and sewer, to support future plant operations.  Mild weather has allowed us to progress this and other outdoor work.

World-Class Technology Partner

General Atomics Fact Sheet
In 2017, an affiliate of General Atomics, one of the largest, most advanced technology companies in the world, took an equity position in Rare Element Resources.  Since that time, they have brought the full force of their technology development team enhance the Company's recovery/separation technology.
To learn more about General Atomics Click Here

Bear Lodge Panoramic
Sample Drilling
Core Samples

The Bear Lodge Project area is a significant mineralized district that contains one of the largest disseminated rare earth deposits in North America. This deposit contains many of the less common, more valuable rare earths that are essential for the magnet materials used in electronics, fiber optics, laser systems for health and defense, and many evolving green technologies, such as hybrid cars, solar panels and wind turbines. Rare Element Resources owns 100% of the Project. 

During the last few years, the Company, along General Atomics, whose affiliate is RER's majority shareholder, have been advancing their proprietary extraction/separation technology and have successfully produced commercial-grade neodymium/praseodymium (Nd/Pr) oxide in pilot-plant testing.  These materials are key components to the fast-growing, permanent magnet sector. The next step will be operations of a demonstration plant, which is currently under construction in Upton, WY.  Results generated from operating this plant will be used for the design and economic evaluation of a commercial rare earth processing facility. 

Project Highlights

  • Proprietary Rare Earth Extraction/Separation Technology – Successfully advanced the Company’s technology and produced neodymium/praseodymium (Nd/Pr) oxide in pilot-plant testing. Construction of a demonstration plant is currently underway to prove the scalability of the process and define the requirements for a commercial plant.
  • World-Class Technology Partner and Majority Shareholder – General Atomics, through its affiliate, is the majority shareholder in Rare Element Resources, is a technology leader with a proven track record of bringing new ideas to market.  Their understanding of the strategic role rare earths play in numerous advancing technologies makes them keenly aware of the need for a secure, domestic supply of rare earths. Their relationship within the U.S. Government have been essential to our ability to advance our technology.
  • Bear Lodge Project – Well-defined resource with excellent concentrations of the rare earth elements essential to high-strength, permanent magnets and the many industries that depend on them.  Two of those industries, electric vehicles and wind turbines, are expected to drive a doubling of demand for magnet materials in the next 10 years.
  • Strategic Location – Located in northeast Wyoming, the Bear Lodge Project has easy access to a major interstate, transcontinental rail, natural gas and low-power.  The area has existing infrastructure with a ready and skilled workforce.  The State of Wyoming has a rich history of mineral development and a pro-business focus, and its leaders are actively committed to economic diversification. 
  • Strong Federal and State Support – Both the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Wyoming Energy Authority (WEA) have shown their support for the Project through funding of over $26M for the demonstration plant.  The DOE continues to pursue ways to secure sources for material that will be key to industrial needs, especially those that support the country’s initiative of reducing carbon emissions, like electric vehicles and wind turbines. The WEA is supporting the State’s desire to diversify employment and understands that Wyoming can play a key role in developing a domestic supply chain – from minerals to magnets. 
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