Arafura Rare Earths
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| ASX: ARU | |
| Industry | Mining |
| Headquarters | Perth, Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Darryl Cuzzubbo (CEO) |
| Products | Rare-earth metals |
| Website | www.arultd.com |
Arafura Rare Earths Ltd, formerly Arafura Resources, is an Australian mining company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. Its flagship project is the Nolans Rare Earths Project, located in Central Australia, which is dedicated to mining and production of rare-earth elements.
History
Arafura Resources was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2003. The company was renamed Arafura Rare Earths Ltd in October 2022.[1]
Description and operations
Arafura Rare Earths has its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia.[1]
Nolans Project
The company's flagship project is the Nolans Rare Earths Project (also known as the Nolans Bore Rare Earths Project[2]),[3] 135 km (84 mi) north of Alice Springs[4] in the Northern Territory. As of 2025 the mine and refinery are still under development, having received support from the Australian Government in the form of an AU$840 million loan and grants package in 2024.[5][6] In January 2025, the project received a further AU$200m of funding from the government.[5]
The Nolans Bore rare-earths-phosphate-uranium-thorium (REE-P-U-Th) deposit is its main asset, being one of the largest and most intensively explored deposits of its type globally. It will include a mine and processing plant, along with related infrastructure, at the site.[4] The project is particularly focused on neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr), which are crucial for technologies such as EVs and wind turbines. Arafura intends to become a leading global supplier of NdPr oxide, with the site being one of the world's largest undeveloped sources of these rare-earth elements. The project will be the first Australian fully-integrated mining and rare-earth separation project, and may potentially supply up to 4% of the world's magnet rare earths.[7]
With an initial mine life of 38 years and a valuable phosphoric acid by-product, Nolans is intended to be a long-life, low-cost operation producing NdPr oxide.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Arafura Rare Earths". Business News. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Nolans Bore Rare Earths Project". The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF). 24 July 2022. Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ Lunn, J. (2006). "Great western minerals" (PDF). London: Insigner Beaufort Equity Research. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2008.
- ^ a b "Nolans". Arafura. 29 October 2024. Archived from the original on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ a b Fitzgerald, Daniel (15 January 2025). "Arafura Rare Earths mine to receive further $200m in public investment". ABC News. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ Turton, Shaun. "Australia pumps $550m into rare earths refinery project". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Nolans Rare Earths Project". Australia's Northern Territory. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ "Home". Arafura. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
External links
- Huston, D. L; Maas, Roland; et al. (2016). "The Nolans Bore rare-earth element-phosphorus-uranium mineral system: geology, origin and post-depositional modifications". Springer Verlag. ISSN 0026-4598.
- Nolans Bore (describes the geology of the deposit)