Vietnam to up annual raw rare earths output to 2m tonnes by 2030

[Viet]

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Mines in three northern provinces to handle extraction operations

Ore containing rare earth metals awaits processing at a plant in Saskatchewan, Canada on Jan. 16. © Reuters
July 25, 2023 13:35 JST


HANOI (Reuters) -- Vietnam aims to raise its rare earths production to 2.02 million tonnes of unprocessed minerals a year by 2030, according to a government plan reviewed by Reuters, as the Southeast Asian country seeks to tap one of the world's largest reserves of key industrial metals.

The rare earths will be extracted from nine mines in the northern provinces of Lai Chau, Lao Cai and Yen Bai, according to the plan signed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on July 18.

[1/2]Samples of rare earth minerals from left: Cerium oxide, Bastnaesite, Neodymium oxide and Lanthanum carbonate at Molycorp's Mountain Pass Rare Earth facility in Mountain Pass, California June 29,... Read more


Rare earths are a group of elements that have applications in electronics manufacturing and batteries, making them important for the global transition toward cleaner sources of energy and in defense.

Vietnam has the world's second-largest reserves of rare earths -- an estimated 22 million tonnes -- second only to China, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).


The country's production of rare earths jumped to 4,300 tonnes last year from 400 tonnes in 2021, the USGS said.

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According to the government plan, Vietnam will develop three to four new mines after 2030, aiming to raise its output of raw rare earths to 2.11 million tonnes by 2050.

Apart from mining, the country said it will also seek to invest in rare earth mining facilities, with a target of annually producing 20,000 to 60,000 tonnes of rare-earth oxides (REO) by 2030.

The plan aims to raise the annual REO output to between 40,000 and 80,000 tonnes by 2050.

Vietnam to up annual raw rare earths output to 2m tonnes by 2030

Mines in three northern provinces to handle extraction operations

asia.nikkei.com

 

[MajesticPug]

Vietnamese had too much agent orange and they need more from Daddy Murica. China should tell Vietnam go build its trains and high-speed rail with the Japanese and Americans. No need to help the backstabbers.

 

[casual]

rare earths are everywhere. It's basically just dirt. what makes rare earths rare is the refining process is very expensive and dirty. Only China has the technology to refine with high efficiency compared to western countries and that's why China has the market cornered. It doesn't matter if Vietnam build mines, in the end they will still have to ship the ore to China to get it refined.

 

[REhorror]

This is good, we need nuclear tech and semiconductors!

 

[KAL-EL]

Good for Vietnam!