Resumen de Indian processing plant could produce 5% of global rare earths

Antonio Torrisi, James Sean Dickson

• Indian Rare Earths Ltd (IREL) is to construct a 5,000tpa rare earth oxide (REO) plant which could supply about 5% of the global demand for the critical metals.

  IREL is a subdivision of the Indian Department of Energy. The head of the rare earths division of IREL, S Surya Kumar, said that up to half of the output of the factory would be the REO forms of lanthanum and cerium.

  Since the Kerala mine closure in 2004, however, the Indian supply has increased, with IREL's Keralan Chavara mine, in particular, resulting in Indian exports in REO being only second to China, while still very small in comparison.