Aclara Resources Inc. has inaugurated a demonstration plant in Chile to develop and validate technology for producing rare earth metals and alloys, marking a significant step toward its planned industrial operations in the United States.

 

Launched by Aclara Metals SpA, a 50-50 joint venture between Aclara and CAP S.A., the facility will use molten salt electrolysis to convert neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) oxides into metals and alloys. It is designed for a nominal production capacity of up to 175 kilograms of rare earth metal per day, with a target purity of at least 99.5%.

 

The launch ceremony was attended by Sergio Giacaman, Governor of Chile's Biobío Region, along with directors and executives from CAP, Aclara and Aclara Metals.

 

The plant's immediate mission is to demonstrate that the technology can deliver stable, continuous industrial production under real operating conditions while meeting the quality specifications required by potential international customers.

 

The results will also feed directly into the basic engineering of Aclara Metals' planned industrial project in Louisiana, United States, providing technical and operational data to guide the design and development of the future facility.

 

Aclara Metals has developed the detailed design of its industrial-scale electrolysis cell entirely through its own teams and those at CAP's Huachipato steelworks in Talcahuano, drawing on decades of metallurgical expertise.

 

The company said the technology represents a valuable asset in a field where established industrial standards for rare earth metallization remain absent.

 

Production campaigns at the demonstration plant are expected to generate operating data, build technical expertise and train personnel for the future industrial facility. The findings will also support the development of predictive digital models designed to optimize the process and improve the stability and efficiency of the electrolysis cells.

 

Aclara Metals is also evaluating a second demonstration stage that would follow NdPr production and introduce dysprosium (Dy) oxide to produce an NdPrDy alloy, extending the facility's capabilities to include a heavier rare earth element.

 

Álvaro Castellón, General Manager of Aclara Metals, added: "Rare earth metallization is a scarce, almost nonexistent technology in the West. This demonstration plant will allow us to replicate one of the four processes that make up metallization, generating concrete learnings that will complement the engineering work already underway as we advance toward a future industrial plant in the United States. Huachipato's metallurgical experience, together with the drive and conviction of CAP and Aclara, has created a unique combination that lets us move quickly and deliver concrete results."

 

The launch advances Aclara and CAP's strategy to establish an integrated, traceable and sustainable rare earth value chain spanning extraction, separation, metallization and alloy production.

 

In Chile, the chain is expected to begin with extraction at the Penco Module, described by the company as the country's first rare earth deposit. The demonstration plant adds a critical downstream capability: turning separated rare earth oxides into metals and alloys used in advanced manufacturing.

 

These materials are essential for producing permanent magnets used in electric mobility, robotics, wind power generation and other advanced technologies. Developing metallization capabilities could help strengthen Western access to materials needed for the energy transition.

 

Ramón Barúa, CEO of Aclara, said: "This demonstration plant marks another important step in Aclara's development of an integrated rare earth supply chain. It complements our concentration pilot plants in Chile and Brazil and our separation pilot plant in Virginia, United States.