Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) has initiated the expansion of its White Mesa Mill in Utah to enable commercial-scale production of heavy rare earth oxides, a move that advances the company's strategy to create a fully integrated Western mine-to-magnet supply chain. The project will add capacity to produce terbium, dysprosium, samarium, europium and gadolinium oxides by the end of 2028, complementing the mill's existing light rare earth oxide production. This expansion is expected to support the production of rare earth metals, alloys and magnets for sectors including automotive, robotics, data centers, energy and defense, while strengthening North American and European supply chains.
The approximately $104 million expansion is expected to be funded through a combination of government support and company capital, with commercial production tied to anticipated monazite feedstock from the Donald Project in Australia and other sources. Energy Fuels said the expanded facility is expected to supply a significant portion of the rare earth oxides needed by its pending acquisitions of Australian Strategic Materials Ltd. (ASX: ASM) and Vacuumschmelze GmbH. This supports an integrated mine-to-magnet platform capable of producing enough permanent magnets annually for millions of electric vehicles, humanoid robots and other advanced technologies.
The White Mesa Mill is the only fully licensed conventional uranium mill operating in the U.S. and also produces rare earth element products. Energy Fuels is developing three heavy mineral sands and rare earths projects: the Vara Mada Project in Madagascar, Bahia Project in Brazil, and Donald Project in Australia through a joint venture with Astron Limited. The company is also evaluating medical isotope recovery for emerging cancer therapies. For more information, visit the company's newsroom at http://ibn.fm/UUUU.
The expansion underscores the growing importance of domestic rare earth processing capabilities as global demand for critical minerals rises. By adding heavy rare earth production, Energy Fuels positions itself to reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains, which currently dominate rare earth processing. The integrated approach from mining to magnet production is expected to provide greater supply security for Western manufacturers. The full press release is available at https://ibn.fm/S04FF.
