Resumen de Sumitomo confirms test production of Kazakh rare earths

Julian Ryall, Hanna Lange Chenier

• "They could possibly be a force in the market somewhere down the road," the expert told IM. "How much of a profit they could make, it's hard to say. The labour there is cheap, and the stuff is right there. The process there is pretty much controlled thanks to the Soviet Union way back when." "My guess is what they're doing is waiting for assembly, because it takes money to get revamped equipment," a US-based rare earths expert told IM, implying that Kazatomprom's existing facilities need an upgrade before they can reach full commercial production capacity.