The MAGELLAN project organised its 4th online event of the Rare Earths Roundtable series on March 20th, titled “Mining and Processing of Rare Earth Elements in the EU.” This event, hosted by EIT RawMaterials, brought together experts to discuss how Europe can secure its supply of rare earth elements (REEs).
Rare earths are essential for high-tech and green applications (from electric vehicle motors to wind turbines), yet Europe is heavily import-dependent, relying largely on China. EU policymakers have set ambitious targets under the proposed Critical Raw Materials Act to secure 10% of the EU’s annual rare earth supply from European sources by 2030 and to reduce reliance on any single country to below 65%.
The online event, moderated by Philippe Giaro, Senior Research Officer at the University of Liege’s GeMMe research group, addressed this strategic imperative, exploring current projects, challenges, and opportunities in building a domestic rare earth supply chain. In an engaging discussion, speakers from academia, industry, and the nuclear sector shared insights on European mining projects, processing technologies, logistics of radioactive materials, and the policy landscape.
Philippe Giaro (ULiège-GeMMe)
Kicking off the online event, Philippe Giaro provided a panoramic overview of Europe’s rare earth resources and projects. Philippe leads MAGELLAN’s reports on responsible sourcing of REEs from the primary sector, and his presentation asked the big question: Is the EU on track to meet its 2030 rare earth goals?
He surveyed known rare earth deposits across Europe, noting that significant occurrences are found in regions like Greenland and Scandinavia, with examples such as the Fen complex in Norway. Using data gathered from 9 advanced REE projects under evaluation, Philippe outlined the current status of European exploration efforts. Most projects, he explained, are still in early stages – typically at the resource definition or feasibility study phase – with none yet reaching construction or production. “We’re not very far in terms of European projects at this stage… and construction and production, well, we’re unfortunately nowhere at this stage”, he observed. This reality check set the stage for the discussion: Europe has promising geology but is racing against the clock to develop actual mines.
Key Points: Philippe’s analysis highlighted both the potential and the hurdles for EU rare earth mining. On the positive side, Europe possess’ potentially viable REE deposits – including some with encouraging concentrations of heavy rare earth elements dysprosium and terbium (critical for high-performance magnets) at over 25% of their rare earth mix. However, the grades of European ores (often around 0.2 – 1.5% total rare earth oxides) are modest compared to world-class mines like Mountain Pass or Bayan Obo (6 – 9% grades), meaning European projects face an uphill battle in economics.
Philippe explained that MAGELLAN’s researchers have been actively liaising with companies to get up-to-date data, since many projects are privately held and information is scarce. Two fundamental challenges emerged: financing and social license to operate. European ventures struggle to attract the huge capital needed for mine development, and obtaining permits can be slow. Additionally, securing community acceptance is crucial; Philippe flagged “access to capital and social license to operate” as top risks for rare earth mining in Europe. Finally, he addressed the elephant in the room: volatile REE prices. Using recent studies, his team assumed a long-term price of around $25 – 30 per kg for a mixed rare earth oxide basket – a conservative figure meant to reflect market realities.
His verdict? Under current conditions, it will be “challenging” for the EU to meet the 2030 targets for rare earth self-sufficiency. This sober conclusion came with a silver lining: it reinforces the importance of recycling and international partnerships to fill the gap. Philippe’s presentation set a frank and factual tone, emphasising that Europe has no time to lose in bringing rare earth projects to fruition.
Tore Malo Ødegård (Rare Earths Norway AS)
Tore Malo Ødegård, CFO of Rare Earths Norway, followed by zooming in on a flagship European project: The Fen Carbonatite Complex in southern Norway. Rare Earths Norway, a private Norwegian company, is developing Fen – a carbonatite-hosted rare earth deposit described as one of the largest and richest in Europe. Tore introduced Fen as a “world-class deposit” with significant potential. The site contains a high proportion of magnet metals (neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium), and the company holds extraction rights for about 90% of the deposit. He noted the deposit’s prime location close to infrastructure (roads, rail and a deep-sea port) and the European market.
In fact, Fen could supply an estimated 20–30% of Europe’s rare earth demand for over a century. Tore emphasised the strong support the project enjoys: the Norwegian government has embraced Fen as strategically important, and Rare Earths Norway is backed by experienced industrial groups with a long-term, responsible outlook. The project is even recognised as a “strategic project” under the international Mineral Security Partnership.
In terms of timeline, Rare Earths Norway is moving swiftly: after extensive drilling at depths ranging between 500m and 1,000m (with a total of about 20,000 meters drilled so far) and a maiden JORC resource estimate, they plan to commence pilot-scale operations and test mining from 2026, aiming to see rare earths be mined there from the early 2030s. “This is a very large resource… with the potential to be a significant supply source for Europe for hundreds of years,” Tore noted, projecting confidence that Fen can anchor Europe’s rare earth supply chain for the long term.
Key Points: Tore’s talk painted Fen as a rarity: a European REE project with both scale and momentum. He shared some impressive numbers: down to 500 meters depth, Fen holds an estimated 8.8 million tonnes of rare earth oxides at an average grade of 1.57%. That tonnage is about five times larger than the next biggest rare earths deposit in continental Europe, putting Fen in a league of its own. And the deposit remains open at depth – drilling has confirmed mineralisation at 1,000m depth, so the resource could grow further. But beyond geology, Rare Earths Norway is keenly focused on how to mine and process these materials responsibly. Tore explained their “invisible mine” concept, an underground mining plan developed by experts to minimise surface impact.
The mine will be electrified and highly autonomous, with waste rock and tailings backfilled into the underground voids. This not only reduces the need for large surface tailings storage (a key community concern) but also improves resource recovery. Environmental R&D is a cornerstone: the company has 20 research partners across 14 countries working on both mining and processing solutions.
One major challenge – the presence radioactive elements in the ore – is being actively managed. Tore noted that by processing the tailings in a certain way, they can extract radioactive material such that the remaining tailings are no longer considered radioactive. In fact, they have identified potential business opportunities, meaning it could be sold or utilised rather than treated solely as waste. “We must make sure to handle this material safely,” he said, describing how having a taker for the radioactive material could turn a liability into an opportunity.
The project also prides itself on community engagement – Rare Earths Norway began dialogue with local residents, officials, and NGOs early on, even taking stakeholders into an underground test tunnel to see the operations firsthand. Thanks to this proactive approach, Fen has achieved something rare for a mine: broad societal acceptance. Tore highlighted that all major political parties in Norway (even those typically opposed to mining) and different NGOs are on board with the project. This level of support, combined with government backing, positions Fen as a flagship for Europe’s rare earth ambitions.
Still, Tore echoed a theme from Philippe’s talk: market volatility is a big hurdle. Price swings for rare earths pose a risk to such long-term projects. In his presentation, he showed NdPr oxide prices whipsawing over the past decade, calling them “unsustainable”. To counter this, Rare Earths Norway has proposed solutions like purchase agreements, long-term contracts on fixed price or contracts-for-difference (price stabilisation schemes) to ensure the mine’s viability even if market prices dip. Overall, Tore’s message was cautiously optimistic: with world-class resources, cutting-edge sustainability measures, and collaborative strategy, projects like Fen can become cornerstone suppliers – if the economic and policy conditions allow them to reach fruition.
Cynthia Portefaix (Orano NPS)
The online event then shifted gears to the logistics and safety aspects of rare earth supply, led by Cynthia Portefaix, Head of Business Development (Front-End & Transport) at Orano NPS. Orano NPS (Nuclear Packages and Services) is a French company with over 60 years of expertise in transporting radioactive materials, and Cynthia leveraged this background to address a crucial question: How can we safely ship and handle rare earth ores and concentrates, especially those that contain natural radioactivity?
In her introduction, Cynthia noted that many primary rare earth sources – e.g. minerals like Monazite, Xenotime, Allanite, Loparite – contain significant amounts of Uranium and Thorium. These are classified as NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials), which means if their radioactivity exceeds certain thresholds, they must be transported as Class 7 hazardous goods (the category for radioactive substances). Historically, she explained, the presence of thorium in monazite led to it being “considered as a waste”, therefore rare earth producers favoured other minerals to avoid radioactive complications.
“Luckily, things are moving”, Cynthia said, pointing out that monazite’s low-level radioactivity is no longer seen as a deal-breaker for development or transport. With modern regulations and engineered packaging, the industry knows how to handle these materials safely. Orano NPS itself offers “reliable, safe and competitive transport solutions” for such radioactive ores, drawing on its nuclear logistics know-how. Cynthia gave a quick primer on the regulatory framework: any material above 10 Bq/g of radioactivity is considered Class 7 for transport, and monazite concentrates typically exceed that. These would be assigned to category LSA-I (Low Specific Activity level 1 – the lowest risk subclass of Class 7) which imposes special handling, labelling, and shielding requirements.
She reassured the audience that Class 7 shipments are routine – on the order of 5,000 containers per year globally, compared to tens of millions of normal containers – and that strict international standards (from the IAEA and IMDG Code) govern their safe transport. Throughout her talk, Cynthia’s message was clear: with proper precautions, the radioactivity in some rare earth materials is a manageable challenge, not a showstopper.
Key Points: Cynthia Portefaix highlighted logistical challenges that are often overlooked in the rare earth supply conversation, and showed how they can be overcome. A key takeaway from her presentation was encouragement to European projects not to shy away from exploiting resources like monazite due to radioactivity concerns. “Don’t be afraid when you see a radioactive [Class 7] label,” she stressed, explaining that the transport sector has decades of experience to ensure these materials move safely from mines to processing plants. She illustrated how specialised packaging and procedures are used: for example, sealing material in robust containers, radiation shielding, monitoring, and designated handling protocols at ports.
In Cynthia’s view, the perception of radioactivity risk has often been worse than the reality. She noted that even within Europe, there are established corridors for such shipments – “we have ports open to Class 7 in Europe, not only in exotic countries”, she said, citing that ports in France, Spain, Finland and others already handle nuclear or NORM cargos.
One practical consideration is storage: some ports allow only 48-hour transit storage for Class 7 goods; others have longer-term licensed warehouses. These hurdles are logistical, not insurmountable. With planning, materials can be routed appropriately. Cynthia also touched on the importance of clear regulations and trained personnel. She referenced the international framework (IAEA safety standards and UN ADR/IMDG codes) that provides a common language for transporting hazardous materials.
Orano NPS leverages this framework to assist emerging rare earth ventures – for instance, advising on how to classify their material and obtain necessary transport approvals. An interesting insight was how the evolution of regulations has actually enabled rare earth development: earlier in the industry’s history, monazite’s radioactivity was a deal-breaker, but today regulatory clarity and logistics expertise have “opened the door” to using these high-thorium ores. This plays into Europe’s diversification strategy: by safely tapping monazite, Europe can access heavy rare earths that were previously left untapped.
In summary, Cynthia provided a reassuring perspective: Europe has the knowledge and infrastructure to handle radioactive rare earth materials, and companies like Orano NPS stand ready to support the supply chain with safe transport, from mines all the way to processing facilities. Her insights bridged a crucial gap between mining and refining – the journey in between – showing that it’s possible to navigate the “dangerous goods” logistics with professionalism and robust safety culture.
Frédéric Carencotte (Carester)
The final speaker, Frédéric Carencotte, brought the discussion to the processing end of the rare earth supply chain. Frédéric is the CEO and founder of Carester, a French startup specialising in rare earth separation technology. Founded in 2019 by a team of rare earth engineers, Carester has rapidly positioned itself as a key player in Europe’s effort to build its own refining capacity. Nabeel Mancheri introduced Frédéric as a “well-known figure in our industry” and congratulated him on a recent groundbreaking ceremony for a processing facility in France – a noteworthy development, as it could become one of the first major rare earth separation plants in Europe outside of Estonia.
In his talk, Frédéric described Carester’s dual approach: providing expert services to rare earth projects worldwide, and launching its own production plant to supply rare earth oxides in Europe. On the services side, he mentioned that Carester has assembled significant R&D infrastructure – “120 m² of laboratories and 700 m² of magnet recycling facilities”, six patents filed since 2019, and a team that pours roughly 35% of revenue back into R&D. These capabilities support projects like magnet recycling and process design for new mines. But the centrepiece of Frédéric’s presentation was Carester’s planned rare earth refinery, which he referred to as the “Caremag” plant (a dedicated subsidiary for production).
This plant, now under construction in northern France, aims to produce rare earth oxides at an industrial scale – a bold bid to close the loop in Europe’s supply chain. “We intend to become a player in Europe for RE oxide production”, Frédéric affirmed, outlining an initial throughput and product mix. The facility’s design capacity will combine two feed streams: about 2,000 tonnes per year of recycled permanent magnet material (sourced from scrap, swarf, and end-of-life equipment), and about 5,000 tonnes per year of mined concentrate (rich in heavy rare earths). By blending recycling with primary ore, Carester can output a balanced suite of products: approximately 800 tonnes of Nd-Pr oxide annually (neodymium-praseodymium, key magnet metals) and around 600 tonnes of heavy rare earth oxides (including ~500t of dysprosium and ~100t of terbium oxide). While 800t of NdPr is less than 1% of global supply, the heavy rare earth volume would represent roughly 15% of current world production – a significant contribution given heavies are in chronically short supply. Frédéric emphasised that most of the NdPr output will actually come from recycled magnets, underlining how urban mining will contribute alongside traditional mining in Europe’s strategy.
Key Points: Frédéric Carencotte’s vision illustrated how Europe can build not just mines, but a full value chain that includes state-of-the-art processing and recycling. A major highlight of his presentation was the focus on sustainability and efficiency in Carester’s new plant. Knowing that chemical processing of rare earths has a reputation for pollution, Frédéric stressed that their facility is being engineered to be “best in class” environmentally. He revealed several design targets that drew attention: the plant will recycle over 80% of its CO2 emissions by capturing and reusing carbon dioxide within the process, and it will be nearly net-zero in water usage, meaning that they “will consume more water for the administrative buildings than for the process” itself. In practice, this means extensive water recycling and no release of contaminated wastewater – “we will not generate any wastewater,” Frédéric noted. The plant will run on electricity with no on-site fossil fuel burning, eliminating direct CO2 emissions. Frédéric positioned it as a template for how rare earth refining can be done in an environmentally friendly way in Europe, meeting stringent EU regulations.
On the business side, he discussed how Carester is securing the viability of this venture. A key strategy has been to lock in long-term partnerships and offtake agreements. Frédéric divulged that Carester has signed two long-term supply contracts with buyers who prioritize security of supply. “What we are doing is to have long-term contracts with people interested in security of supply… This is what we have done with JOGMEC and with Stellantis,” he shared, referring to a Japanese state agency and a major European car manufacturing group as committed partners. By aligning with end-users like automakers that need rare earth magnets, Carester ensures there will be a stable demand (and funding) for its output once the plant comes online. This model addresses the price volatility issue raised earlier: long-term offtakes can buffer the new producer against market swings.
Another important point Frédéric made is the need for integration across the value chain. He showed a diagram of how Carester’s “Caremag” unit will sit in the middle of a network, taking in feeds from mining companies, third-party recyclers, and even magnet manufacturers’ production scrap. Downstream, the oxides produced can go to alloy and magnet makers, completing a European magnet supply chain loop.
This initiative, backed by technical expertise and a bold entrepreneurial spirit, offered a hopeful example of action on the ground. The fact that a physical plant is being built – with concrete being poured as we speak – made the prospect of a European rare earth separation industry more tangible for the online event’s attendees. In conclusion, Frédéric’s message was about execution: Europe’s rare earth independence will be won not by declarations, but by projects – innovative, cooperative, and sustainable – that actually get built. Carester’s story, as presented by its founder, exemplified just that.
Q&A
After the presentations, a lively Q&A session delved deeper into cross-cutting issues and allowed the speakers to interact. One recurring theme was how to manage market risks – particularly the notorious price volatility of rare earths – to enable these projects to thrive. Participants asked whether mechanisms exist to stabilise returns for new entrants in the face of China’s dominant influence on prices. In response, panellists stressed the importance of creative solutions like long-term offtake agreements and public-private support schemes. Frédéric Carencotte noted that Carester has secured multi-year contracts with partners who value security of supply, which help “find a price that is okay for them and okay for us” and justify investment in the plant. Tore agreed, adding that most mining projects now require offtake agreements before financing, but if those deals are purely tied to floating market prices, they don’t solve the problem. He argued for a holistic, value-chain approach – “it doesn’t help to set up a mine in Europe unless you also have the next steps (processing, magnet manufacturing) in place,” and vice versa. Europe needs to develop every link from mining to magnets in tandem, and possibly involve governments in de-risking these links.
Another insightful discussion revolved around environmental and social concerns, especially handling of waste and radioactivity. One audience question raised the idea of reprocessing tailings or coal ash for rare earths. Philippe Giaro responded that while secondary sources can contribute, “tailings are tailings because they’ve already been processed” – in other words, their remaining concentrations are low, and they shouldn’t distract from primary mining and recycling efforts where bigger gains are to be made.
A question to Tore probed how the Fen project will deal with radioactive waste from processing. He reiterated Fen’s approach: a closed-loop process with water recycling and no effluent, underground mining to contain radioactivity, extracting radioactive material so that final tailings “will not be considered radioactive”, and working with experts to ensure all radioactive materials are handled safely. This comprehensive strategy, he suggested, is a big improvement over how things were done in the past and is likely one reason rare earth mining “left the Western world” decades ago.
Cynthia Portefaix was asked if Europe actually has the facilities to import and store radioactive concentrates, since her maps showed many shipments coming from outside Europe. She confirmed that, yes, European ports are capable and legally allowed to handle Class 7 materials – mentioning that even recently, a European port authority agreed to start allowing transit of such materials. Storage is handled case-by-case with strict time limits or dedicated sites, but “Europe is not a challenge” when it comes to NORM logistics, she affirmed. One attendee inquired if Orano NPS ships radium from Morocco to the US – Cynthia answered that they do, implying the company’s expertise spans a wide range of radioactive transports, and added that the port of Tangier in Morocco is one they use regularly for Class 7 shipments.
Lastly, the Q&A touched on emerging players and geopolitics. A question about rare earths in Ukraine was posed to Philippe Giaro, given recent news. He responded that despite some political interest, “What we know, and I mean, this has been highly publicised the last few weeks…for what they call rare earths, in fact they targeted critical minerals [like] lithium and graphite. As far as we know, there’s not world-class or even country class type mineral deposits or accumulation or potential deposits in Ukraine. As everywhere, because rare earths are not [actually] rare, there are prospects and small accumulations everywhere but, [as far as] I know of there’s no large-scale or even medium-scale deposit that comes to mind that could be readily exploited in Ukraine”. This grounded reply reinforced that Europe’s hopes likely lie with the projects already on the radar.
Overall, the Q&A segment was rich in collaborative spirit: speakers often built on each other’s answers, underscoring shared concerns and mutual support. A consensus emerged that no single entity can solve the rare earth challenge alone – success will require coordination from mining companies, refiners, end-users, and policymakers alike. The audience gained nuanced perspectives on how industry insiders are tackling the “hard problems” (from pricing to permitting and pollution) and left with a realistic yet hopeful outlook: with ingenuity and teamwork, Europe’s rare earth supply chain can be built step by step.
Online Event Impact and Takeaways
This online event proved to be highly informative and impactful, offering a rare holistic view of the EU’s rare earth ecosystem – from upstream geology to downstream processing and everything in between. Attendees, who ranged from researchers and industry professionals to policy makers and interested citizens, came away with a clearer understanding of both the urgency and the momentum in Europe’s rare earth initiatives.
One clear takeaway was that Europe is mobilising expertise across the board: we saw academia (ULiège’s research) working hand-in-hand with industry (mining companies like Rare Earths Norway and tech startups like Carester) and service specialists (Orano NPS) to address different pieces of the puzzle. As Philippe Giaro observed, it was a “nice chain” of presentations – each linking to the next, collectively illustrating the full supply chain.
The online event underscored several key points for the European rare earth community:
First, Europe’s strategic intent to secure REEs is strong, but meeting targets by 2030 will be challenging without accelerated action – a message that came through in data and frank admissions of hurdles.
Second, there are genuine bright spots: world-class deposits like Fen under development, cutting-edge processing plants being built in the EU, and a wealth of knowledge on how to do things better, safer, cleaner, more efficiently than in the past.
Third, collaboration is essential. The discussions highlighted that success will require aligning the entire value chain – mining projects need refiners and customers; refiners need feedstock and waste solutions; end-users, like automakers need to invest upstream; and governments may need to provide smart support, such as co-investments or price stabilisation mechanisms to catalyse this new industry. Encouragingly, such collaborations are already forming, for example, the partnership of Japanese and European organisations in Carester’s venture, and the public-private backing of Fen.
Finally, sustainability and societal acceptance emerged as non-negotiable themes. The European approach, as evident by these projects, is to bake in environmental responsibility from the start – whether it’s designing a zero-waste refinery or an “invisible” mine – and to earn public trust through transparency and engagement. For a region where community and regulatory standards are high, this is the path to making rare earth production possible.
In conclusion, the online event highlighted that while Europe’s quest for rare earth autonomy is an uphill journey, it is one marked by innovation, determination, and a growing ecosystem of actors committed to the cause. The event’s comprehensive insights and real-world examples provided attendees with both a reality check and a sense of optimism.
As the MAGELLAN project continues its work, such knowledge-sharing forums will be crucial in turning Europe’s rare earth aspirations into a sustainable reality, ensuring that the green and digital transitions have the critical materials they need, sourced responsibly from European soil.
