Weekly News Review March 9 – March 15 2026

This week, China reported new export data showing rare earth shipments were about 23% higher than last year. Meanwhile, Europe is working to reduce its reliance on imports, as Sweden’s Norra Kärr project moves forward and Spain invests €414 million in domestic mining and exploration.  

CHINA’S RARE EARTH EXPORTS RISE BY 23% AT THE START OF THE YEAR:

China exported around 23% more rare earth elements in the first two months of this year compared with the same period last year. According to data from Chinese customs authorities, 10,468 tonnes were shipped abroad in January and February.

Trade statistics for these two months are usually reported together to avoid distortions caused by the Chinese New Year, which traditionally lasts around two weeks.

More detailed figures expected in the coming weeks will show the exact composition of these exports. This will also provide a clearer picture of how the export controls on certain rare earth elements and related products, which have been in place for nearly a year, have affected trade flows.

China’s overall foreign trade also expanded strongly at the beginning of the year, supported by robust global demand. Compared with the same period last year, exports rose by 21.8% to 656.58 billion US dollars, according to the South China Morning Post. This represents the fastest export growth in four years.

SWEDEN: NORRA KÄRRA RARE EARTH PROJECT CLEARS ANOTHER HURDLE –

The Norra Kärr mineral deposit in southern Sweden could help secure a reliable supply of rare earth elements for European industry, according to mining company Leading Edge Materials (LEM). For several years, the Canadian group has been seeking approval to begin mining operations at the site. Following revisions to the project plan, LEM has reported progress: the Swedish mining authority Bergsstaten has reviewed the application for an exploitation concession submitted by the company’s subsidiary, Greenna Mineral AB, and forwarded it to the Swedish government for final consideration.

According to LEM, the Norra Kärr deposit contains a particularly high concentration of heavy rare earth elements. Most of these elements are bound within the mineral Eudialyte. However, metallurgical processing and economically viable extraction of rare earths from this mineral are technically complex. As a result, the necessary processing methods remain the subject of ongoing research and development.

SPAIN: EUR 414 MILLION FOR DOMESTIC RARE EARTH EXTRACTION –

Historic Gold Mining Landscape of Las Médulas in León, Spain

The action plan presented a year ago was approved. In addition to developing new potential mining sites, secondary mining is also a focus.

A year ago, the Spanish government unveiled an action plan to expand domestic extraction of critical raw materials. On Tuesday, the Council of Ministers approved the package of measures and allocated a budget of €414 million.

A total of €182 million will be invested in the country’s first national mining exploration program in 50 years. The initiative will not only identify potential new mining sites but also assess the resource potential of former mining facilities. Such sites often contain valuable raw materials, including rare earth elements, that were of limited economic interest in past decades but are now in high demand for a wide range of modern technologies.

The measures also include plans to modernize Spain’s mining legislation to align with the requirements of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). The EU law, which entered into force in 2024, sets targets for 2030 covering the extraction, processing, and recycling of a range of critical raw materials.

Spain has a long mining tradition and today ranks as Europe’s second-largest producer of copper, third-largest producer of tungsten, and the continent’s only producer of strontium. In addition, seven of the 47 strategic projects selected under the CRMA for special support are located in Spain, most of them focused on lithium, nickel, and copper.

However, advancing new mining projects often proves challenging due to resistance from environmental groups and local communities. Progress at Matamulas, for example—often described as one of Europe’s most promising rare-earth deposits—has been stalled for years.

USA AND CANADA COOPERATE TO BUILD THE LARGEST RARE EARTH PLANT OUTSIDE OF CHINA:

The U.S. company REALLOYS is developing the facility together with its Canadian partner, the Saskatchewan Research Council, which will also supply the raw material.

The U.S. company REalloys plans to build what it says will be the largest factory for producing heavy rare earth metals outside China. The project is being developed as part of a partnership established in December 2025 with the Saskatchewan Research Council, which operates Canada’s first rare earth refinery in Saskatoon. Development, commissioning, and the first test runs of the new facility will take place there before it is relocated and integrated into REalloys’ existing production capacity in the U.S. state of Ohio. The Saskatchewan Research Council will also supply the raw materials for further processing into rare earth metals.

According to REalloys, the goal is to supply the U.S. defense industry and the national strategic materials reserve, in light of new legislation. Starting in 2027, the law will prohibit the use of rare earth magnets of Chinese origin in domestic military systems. Unlike earlier regulations, the rule covers the entire value chain, from mining and refining to separation, smelting, and manufacturing.

Full commercial operation of the new factory is expected to begin by the end of 2027, with a planned annual production of around 30 tonnes of dysprosium and 15 tonnes of terbium. Both materials are subject to export controls imposed by China nearly a year ago. As a result, supply conditions have tightened further. Samarium and gadolinium are also affected by the restrictions; REalloys announced just last week that it intends to begin producing these critical materials as well, with support from the U.S. Department of Defense.

KOREA ZINC TARGETS U.S. DATA-CENTER WASTE FOR CRITICAL MINERALS:

The Korean company is in talks with major U.S. tech firms.

South Korean metals producer Korea Zinc is in talks with U.S. technology companies to recycle data-center waste and extract critical minerals, Chairman Yun B. Choi said, according to Reuters. The discussions focus on recovering rare earths and other strategic metals from discarded servers, electronic components, batteries, and solar equipment.  

Korea Zinc has been researching rare-earth extraction technologies for several years and is now exploring partnerships to enable recycling and refining in the United States. Data-center scrap is considered a growing source of valuable materials, as components contain elements such as gallium and indium in chips or palladium in hard drives.  

The initiative would complement Korea Zinc’s broader expansion in the United States. The company is planning a $7.4 billion smelting complex in Tennessee designed to produce non-ferrous metals and refine critical minerals such as antimony, indium, bismuth, tellurium, gallium, and germanium, with U.S. government support expected for the project.

In addition, Korea Zinc has partnered with U.S. startup Alta Resource Technologies to build a rare-earth magnet recycling facility scheduled to begin operations in 2027. The plant will process end-of-life permanent magnets and produce purified rare earth oxides using advanced separation technology developed with backing from U.S. defense-related research programs.

CHILE AND THE UNITED STATES AIM TO STRENGTHEN SUPPLY CHAINS:

Chile and the United States plan to cooperate on critical raw materials, according to a statement from the South American country’s foreign ministry. Chilean President José Antonio Kast and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau signed a joint declaration yesterday, Thursday. The consultations outlined in the agreement are scheduled to begin within 15 days.

The discussions will focus, among other things, on strengthening supply chains for critical minerals and rare earth elements. They will also address identifying joint projects to close supply gaps, waste management, and potential private and public financing mechanisms for investments.

Chile hosts the world’s largest reserves of the battery mineral lithium, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. The country is also home to ion-adsorption clays, deposits that are important sources of heavy rare earth elements such as dysprosium and terbium, which enhance the performance of magnets used in applications including electric mobility.

The Canadian company Aclara Resources plans to develop these deposits in Chile and Brazil and process the materials in the United States. For its project in the Brazilian state of Goiás, Aclara has already secured up to five million dollars from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the U.S. government’s development finance institution.