Arafura Rare Earths’ Nolans project in the Northern Territory has gained international recognition for its importance to the critical mineral supply chain.
Nolans was recently included in the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), which formed the focus of a meeting held during the European Commission’s Raw Materials Week in Brussels last week.
The MSP, which has upward of 30 members including the US, the European Union and Australia, focuses on strengthening critical mineral supply chains to ensure sustainable and secure access to vital resources.
The forum emphasised specific projects advancing these goals, with Nolans added as a key initiative alongside others such as HyProMag’s rare earths recycling project in the UK, Germany and the US.
Participants at last week’s meeting acknowledged the challenges in developing rare earth projects and identified pathways to accelerate their progress.
The Nolans project stood out for its strategic importance in bolstering global rare earth supplies.
“At the ROK-led MSP project deep dive meeting, participants discussed the challenges to developing specific MSP projects, including HyProMag’s rare earth elements recycling project in the UK, Germany and the US, and the newly added Arafura Rare Earths’ Nolans project in Australia, and identified means to advance these projects,” the joint statement said.
The Nolans project is located 135km north of Alice Springs and hosts a significant deposit of rare earth elements, including neodymium and praseodymium.
These critical materials are essential for producing permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and other green energy technologies.
The project includes mining and on-site processing, aligning with the MSP’s goals of responsible resource development and value addition.
Arafura’s inclusion reflects growing recognition of Australia’s role as a leader in the critical minerals sector, with Nolans poised to enhance Australia’s contribution to global clean energy supply chains.
The next MSP forum will take place at Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2025, providing further opportunities for Arafura to engage with international stakeholders and advance Nolans’s development.
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