Australian mining company St George has finalized an agreement to develop a rare earths separation and processing center in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, with an estimated investment of R$2 billion. The project, expected to begin operations around 2030, will target the production of lanthanum and cerium oxides, magnetic oxides, and higher-value heavy elements through chemical separation of rare earth concentrates.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to address Brazil’s refining shortfall in the rare earths supply chain, where the country holds the world’s second-largest reserves after China. St George’s Brazilian subsidiary, led by President Thiago Amaral, emphasized the strategic importance of filling this gap in the refining process. "Whenever we talk about rare earths there is a gap in refining. It is this gap that we are trying to fill," Amaral stated.
The processing center is projected to handle approximately 50,000 tons of carbonate annually by 2030, with an initial focus on lower-value oxides before scaling up to higher-value products. The project aligns with St George’s broader Araxá project in Minas Gerais, where commercial operations are slated to commence in 2029 with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons of carbonate.
Local partners Grupo Lima & Pergher, through its chemical and industrial division START, will collaborate on the venture. The agreement was formalized with support from state authorities, including Invest Minas and the Secretariat of Economic Development of Minas Gerais. The project’s design and investment allocation between partners will be finalized in the coming phases, according to St George CEO John Prineas. "The plan is to design the project together and then define what the investment of each party will be," Prineas noted.
The announcement follows discussions at the Exposibram mining congress and reflects growing momentum in Brazil’s rare earths sector amid global supply chain diversification efforts.
