USA Rare Earth France plant: integrated mine‑to‑magnet chain explained for engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
USA Rare Earth will build a 3,750 tpa rare earth metal and alloy plant in Lacq, France, co-located with Carester’s 1,600 tpa Caremag oxide processing facility due for commissioning in late 2026, creating an integrated European processing platform. The French government will part-fund the project with equipment credits covering up to 45% of eligible kit and up to €130 million for real estate. The plant extends USAR’s mine-to-magnet chain anchored by the Round Top deposit in Texas and its 28,800 m² magnet plant in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Technical Brief
- Carester’s Lacq oxide plant is designed for 1,600 tpa throughput, commissioning targeted for late 2026.
- USA Rare Earth’s French facility will be built via its Less Common Metals (LCM) subsidiary.
- French state support includes credits covering up to 45% of eligible process and auxiliary equipment.
- Real estate costs are further offset by up to €130 million in French government funding commitments.
- USA Rare Earth’s Stillwater, Oklahoma magnet plant footprint is 310,000 ft² (28,800 m²) for downstream integration.
- A hydrometallurgical pilot breakthrough in Wheat Ridge, Colorado allows Hydromet facility start-up in the current year.
- Round Top production is now scheduled to be advanced to 2028, two years earlier than previously planned.
Our Take
With USA Rare Earth and the Round Top project now targeting production from 2028, Europe gains a potential non-Chinese rare earth oxide stream just as earlier coverage has highlighted price spikes and supply anxiety around rare earths during geopolitical flare-ups involving France and other EU states.
French backing covering up to 45% of eligible equipment costs for the Lacq hydromet and Caremag oxide facilities effectively shifts part of the capex and technology risk from USAR’s balance sheet to the host state, which is notable given USAR’s already sizeable US$2.7 billion market capitalisation for a developer-stage rare earth player.
Locating processing in France while mining feed is expected from Texas (Round Top) mirrors a pattern in our database where critical minerals projects split extraction and high-value processing across jurisdictions, which can diversify permitting and political risk but also locks in cross-border logistics and regulatory dependencies between the US and EU.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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