USA Rare Earth Moves Forward with Round Top Project
USA Rare Earth Inc. has made a significant stride in advancing its ambitious Round Top rare earth project located in Texas, USA. The company has selected Fluor Corp and WSP Global Inc as its engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) partners. This collaboration aims to elevate the project’s definitive feasibility study (DFS) and ultimately pave the way for commercial production of critical minerals.
Strategic Partners in Mining Excellence
Fluor and WSP are not just big names; they are internationally recognized leaders in the realms of mining, processing, and large-scale infrastructure delivery. Their extensive experience spans complex, multi-year projects that cumulatively total tens of billions of dollars, both within North America and globally. USA Rare Earth undertook a meticulous evaluation process to select these partners, ensuring they bring substantial technical, engineering, and execution capabilities to the Round Top project. This partnership emphasizes an accelerated yet disciplined approach to achieving commercial viability.
Rich Mineral Deposits at Round Top
The Round Top deposit is notable for its impressive diversity of rare earth elements; it contains 15 of the 17 rare earth elements, including all heavy rare earth elements. Additionally, the deposit is rich in high-tech metals like gallium, hafnium, zirconium, beryllium, and lithium. USA Rare Earth plans for these resources to be processed at its facility in Oklahoma, with an eye towards supplying both the defense industry and broader sectors reliant on critical minerals.
Accelerated Mine Plan in Action
In an effort to expedite the development of the Round Top project while maintaining essential technical standards, USA Rare Earth is employing what it calls an Accelerated Mine Plan. This innovative approach involves completing the initial phase of its DFS by leveraging results from ongoing solvent extraction (SX) pilot work at the company’s facility in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. This first phase will encompass parameters typically addressed in a prefeasibility study, streamlining the path to actionable insights.
Demonstration Plant Operations
Simultaneously, the company is operating a demonstration plant in Wheat Ridge, which is slated for at least 2,000 continuous hours of operation. Expected to conclude by October 2026, the data gathered during this period will significantly contribute to the second phase of the DFS. This dual approach of utilizing both pilot work and demonstration plant data exemplifies USA Rare Earth’s commitment to a data-informed development process.
Future Drilling and Optimization Plans
Looking ahead, USA Rare Earth has plans to conduct confirmatory and geotechnical drilling at the Round Top site in the first half of 2026. This drilling will be complemented by a heap leach optimization study designed to support ongoing mine design and engineering efforts. Together, these initiatives aim to facilitate the progress towards commercial production of heavy rare earth oxides, with a target set for late 2028.
Voices of Leadership
Alex Moyes, the Vice President of Mining & Processing at USA Rare Earth, has emphasized the importance of partnering with Fluor and WSP. He stated, “Their teams know how to deliver complex mining and processing projects, and that matters as we work to bring a secure, domestic supply of heavy rare earth elements into production.” This sentiment underscores the growing emphasis on reliability and resilience in the U.S. rare earth supply chain, especially at a time when the demand for these materials is increasing.
Conclusion
The strategic partnerships and innovative plans put in place by USA Rare Earth Inc. serve as a testament to the company’s commitment to leading the charge in rare earth production. With the impressive capabilities of Fluor and WSP at its side, USA Rare Earth is well on its way to establishing a secure domestic supply chain for these essential materials.