ISTANBUL, June 29 (Bernama-Anadolu) — France is building a five-hectare rare earth recycling plant in the southwestern Pyrenees-Atlantiques region as part of efforts to expand domestic production of strategic materials, TF1 reported Monday, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
The French government has allocated €106 million (US$124 million) to the project, which is expected to produce around 600 metric tons of recycled heavy rare earths annually, equivalent to about 10 per cent of current global demand, TF1 said.
The facility, under construction in Lacq near Pau, will manufacture magnets using recycled rare earth elements.
Rare earth magnets are used in a range of technologies, including mobile phones, electric vehicle motors and wind turbines.
TF1 said France has no domestic rare earth deposits and is relying on recycling to develop local production capacity.
According to the broadcaster, the authorisation process for the project took 10 months, compared with the three to four years typically required for industrial projects.
The report added that the new facility is intended to expand existing recycling capacity in France, where recycled rare earth magnets are currently produced on a smaller scale.
— BERNAMA-ANADOLU