Greenland changes the map<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Under the deal, REalloys will buy 15% of monthly Phase 1 output from Critical Metals Corp.\u2019s Tanbreez project in southern Greenland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company says Phase 1 has a disclosed nameplate capacity of up to about 16,500 tons of rare earth concentrate a year, with deliveries still subject to qualification rules and product specifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also Read: Earth\u2019s rarest mineral weighs just 1.61 carats, and the single crystal from Myanmar shows how fragile science\u2019s catalog still is<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nWhy does that matter? Heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium help magnets keep working under high heat, which is why they matter for fighter jets, radar, missile systems, drones, electric mobility, and wind power. Critical Metals describes Tanbreez as a major heavy rare earth deposit with high concentrations of dysprosium and terbium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where the story becomes bigger than one mine. REalloys says the agreement supports its \u201cmine-to-magnet\u201d strategy for U.S. defense and industrial customers, while Critical Metals called it part of a Western-aligned supply chain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That means turning raw mineral access into metals, alloys, and magnets, not just shipping rocks across the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China still dominates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The urgency is easy to understand. By the International Energy Agency\u2019s estimates, China accounted for 60% of global mined production of magnet rare earths in 2024 and 91% of global refined output. Its share reached 94% in sintered permanent magnet production<\/a>, which is where the bottleneck really starts to bite.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRare earths are not just another commodity, they sit inside the small parts that make modern machines move, steer, scan, and communicate. A family car, a data center cooling system, or a radar array may look very different on the outside, but each can depend on materials that pass through a narrow global funnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China added export controls<\/a> on certain medium and heavy rare earth items in April 2025, saying the move was tied to national security and nonproliferation. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSince then, U.S. buyers have been looking harder for reliable alternatives, especially after recent reports that access to some critical minerals from China remains difficult because of controls and licensing delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Africa has the rocks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Africa is still very much in the race. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the region\u2019s critical mineral wealth could help build processing industries, not just raw-material exports, if countries can capture more value at home. That matters because the bigger prize is no longer just mining, it is refining, metallization, and manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several African rare earth projects are edging forward. Lindian Resources says its Kangankunde project in Malawi is fully permitted, fully funded, under construction, and targeting first production in late 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nAlso Read: China is using Moon research to fight a desert on Earth, and the plan could protect millions from the Gobi\u2019s next advance<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nPensana says its Longonjo project in Angola is fully licensed and permitted, with construction on track for first production in 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That timing is not accidental. Under U.S. defense procurement rule DFARS 252.225-7052<\/a>, restrictions will expand on January 1, 2027 for covered magnet materials and certain supply chains linked to China and other covered countries. For suppliers, the clock is now part of the business plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut risk changes investment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The trouble is, minerals do not move from deposit to defense factory by magic. Roads, ports, power, permits, financing, security, processing plants, and environmental safeguards all have to line up. Miss one link, and a promising deposit can sit idle for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is the challenge facing parts of Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo announced a $100 million U.S. and UAE-backed mining guard in April 2026 to secure sites and supply chains, with the force expected to grow to more than 20,000 personnel by the end of 2028. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/greenland-tanbreez-rare-earth-mining-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
As REalloys secures long-term access to heavy rare earths in Greenland, Western industries look to reduce their dependence on Chinese refining capacity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nReuters reported that Congo signed a minerals partnership with the U.S. last year, but insecurity in its mineral-rich east remains a serious concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similar concerns show up elsewhere in different forms. Armed instability, court fights, licensing disputes, and permitting delays can make investors nervous, even when the geology looks excellent. Greenland does not remove every risk, but for Western buyers it offers a simpler pitch: long-term access in an allied Arctic jurisdiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The green question<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There is also an environmental twist that can be easy to miss. Rare earth elements<\/a> are essential for clean energy technologies, including wind turbines and electric vehicles, but mining and processing them can leave scars if water, waste, chemicals, and naturally occurring radioactive materials are poorly managed. The green transition still has a mining footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThat is why the next phase of this race will not be judged only by who has the biggest deposit. Buyers will increasingly ask where minerals come from, how they are processed, whether local communities benefit, and whether the supply chain can pass both defense and sustainability tests. A clean-energy magnet made through a dirty process is not much of a victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critical Metals says Tanbreez benefits from a strong permitting position and low environmental impact, though those claims will ultimately be tested as development advances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nAlso Read: A 152-wheel truck moved a 302,000-lb. tunnel cutterhead, and the logistics became a second engineering project\u00a0<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nFor Africa, the lesson is not to step back, it is to move faster on processing, transparency, and local value so the continent is not left exporting raw material while others capture the real money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What comes next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Greenland deal does not end Africa\u2019s rare earth opportunity. It does raise the bar, however. Western governments and companies now have more options, and they are likely to reward projects that combine geology with security, processing plans, transparent rules, and credible environmental safeguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, is Africa losing the race? Not necessarily, but the race is changing. The prize is no longer just the mineral in the ground, it is the ability to deliver trusted material all the way from mine to magnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For readers, the takeaway is simple. Rare earths may be hidden inside products we barely think about, from phones to aircraft, but they are becoming one of the most important supply chain stories in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The official statement was published on REalloys<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A U.S.-aligned rare earth company has locked in a 15-year supply deal tied to Greenland\u2019s Tanbreez project, one of the … <\/p>\n
Rare earths are not just another commodity, they sit inside the small parts that make modern machines move, steer, scan, and communicate. A family car, a data center cooling system, or a radar array may look very different on the outside, but each can depend on materials that pass through a narrow global funnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China added export controls<\/a> on certain medium and heavy rare earth items in April 2025, saying the move was tied to national security and nonproliferation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, U.S. buyers have been looking harder for reliable alternatives, especially after recent reports that access to some critical minerals from China remains difficult because of controls and licensing delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Africa is still very much in the race. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the region\u2019s critical mineral wealth could help build processing industries, not just raw-material exports, if countries can capture more value at home. That matters because the bigger prize is no longer just mining, it is refining, metallization, and manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several African rare earth projects are edging forward. Lindian Resources says its Kangankunde project in Malawi is fully permitted, fully funded, under construction, and targeting first production in late 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pensana says its Longonjo project in Angola is fully licensed and permitted, with construction on track for first production in 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That timing is not accidental. Under U.S. defense procurement rule DFARS 252.225-7052<\/a>, restrictions will expand on January 1, 2027 for covered magnet materials and certain supply chains linked to China and other covered countries. For suppliers, the clock is now part of the business plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The trouble is, minerals do not move from deposit to defense factory by magic. Roads, ports, power, permits, financing, security, processing plants, and environmental safeguards all have to line up. Miss one link, and a promising deposit can sit idle for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is the challenge facing parts of Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo announced a $100 million U.S. and UAE-backed mining guard in April 2026 to secure sites and supply chains, with the force expected to grow to more than 20,000 personnel by the end of 2028. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reuters reported that Congo signed a minerals partnership with the U.S. last year, but insecurity in its mineral-rich east remains a serious concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar concerns show up elsewhere in different forms. Armed instability, court fights, licensing disputes, and permitting delays can make investors nervous, even when the geology looks excellent. Greenland does not remove every risk, but for Western buyers it offers a simpler pitch: long-term access in an allied Arctic jurisdiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is also an environmental twist that can be easy to miss. Rare earth elements<\/a> are essential for clean energy technologies, including wind turbines and electric vehicles, but mining and processing them can leave scars if water, waste, chemicals, and naturally occurring radioactive materials are poorly managed. The green transition still has a mining footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is why the next phase of this race will not be judged only by who has the biggest deposit. Buyers will increasingly ask where minerals come from, how they are processed, whether local communities benefit, and whether the supply chain can pass both defense and sustainability tests. A clean-energy magnet made through a dirty process is not much of a victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Critical Metals says Tanbreez benefits from a strong permitting position and low environmental impact, though those claims will ultimately be tested as development advances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For Africa, the lesson is not to step back, it is to move faster on processing, transparency, and local value so the continent is not left exporting raw material while others capture the real money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Greenland deal does not end Africa\u2019s rare earth opportunity. It does raise the bar, however. Western governments and companies now have more options, and they are likely to reward projects that combine geology with security, processing plans, transparent rules, and credible environmental safeguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, is Africa losing the race? Not necessarily, but the race is changing. The prize is no longer just the mineral in the ground, it is the ability to deliver trusted material all the way from mine to magnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For readers, the takeaway is simple. Rare earths may be hidden inside products we barely think about, from phones to aircraft, but they are becoming one of the most important supply chain stories in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The official statement was published on REalloys<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A U.S.-aligned rare earth company has locked in a 15-year supply deal tied to Greenland\u2019s Tanbreez project, one of the … <\/p>\nAfrica has the rocks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Also Read: China is using Moon research to fight a desert on Earth, and the plan could protect millions from the Gobi\u2019s next advance<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
But risk changes investment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The green question<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Also Read: A 152-wheel truck moved a 302,000-lb. tunnel cutterhead, and the logistics became a second engineering project\u00a0<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
What comes next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n