US mineral sands miner Tronox pushes faster approvals for WA rare earths plant with $US600m funding in reach

A US miner is angling for expedited approvals to build WA’s next rare earths refinery, in a test of the robustness of Uncle Sam and the Lucky Country’s newfound mineral allegiances. Tronox won tentative taxpayer-funded backing to the tune of $US600 million ($872m) in December from US and Australian Federal credit agencies, in the name of advancing a new plan to produce the sought-after commodity in Australia. The proposal from the New-York listed mineral sands developer came in the wake of a huge push from the US throughout 2025 to cultivate better co-operation with allied Western nations in finding and mining more rare earths. China wields huge leverage over global supplies of the minerals, which are essential for building specialised magnets that power military equipment, smartphones, wind turbines and electric cars. To combat this, Australia and the US agreed in October to jointly invest more than $US3 billion in mining and refining across the two countries. Conflict in the Middle East has since become a more pressing focus and tested ties between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Tronox is working through definitive studies for a cracking and leaching plant that would produce a mixed rare earth carbonate, including both light and heavy rare earths, using the tailings of its mineral sands operations in WA. Tronox’s grand plans are yet to be lodged with the Environmental Protection Authority — an indicator a project is being seriously considered — however a spokeswoman for the company said major project status was being pursued. “Tronox has commenced early-stage planning and engagement with both State and Commonwealth agencies in relation to its proposed Rare Earths Refinery project,” she said. “The project is currently being assessed for major project status at both levels of government, with the objective of facilitating a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to the approvals pathway.” Major project status is typically afforded to developers with projects worth over $50m — a budget Tronox would meet comfortably — and deemed to be of “strategic significance to Australia”. It is intended to help applicants move through State and Federal approvals faster. As well as pushing for the approvals shortcut, Tronox advised it had also identified a preferred site on WA’s Western Trade Coast, which includes the Kwinana Industrial Area and Rockingham Industrial Zone. Iluka Resources — which has slashed jobs in light of a sluggish mineral sands market — has secured $1.65 billion in Australian Government loans since 2022 to build the country’s first fully-integrated rare earths refinery. Longstanding player Lynas Rare Earths has been mining the metals from its Mt Weld operation in the Goldfields since 2011, and opened a refinery capable of producing carbonate in Kalgoorlie in 2024. The carbonates are refined further at its offshore factory in Malaysia. The credit letters from Export Finance Australia and its American equivalent, Export-Import Bank of the US, are non-binding and conditional, but have scope to provide up to $US600m to Tronox to “support the development of Tronox’s rare earth supply chain, including mine extensions, infrastructure support and cracking and leaching capacity”. The loans would be limited or non-recourse.