A groundbreaking ceremony is set at England Airpark today at 3:30 for the Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex, Ucore Rare Metals Inc.’s first commercial rare earth element refining facility.
The Louisiana SMC will produce high-purity rare earth oxides from mixed rare earth chemical concentrates obtained from multiple global feedstock sources. The 80,800-square-foot brownfield facility is under a long-term lease agreement with the England Authority, the entity that manages England Airpark, the repurposed U.S. Air Force base transformed into a regional economic hub.
Today’s event will take place at 2015 Chanute Drive (Building 1315) in England Airpark.
“Breaking ground on the SMC is a pivotal moment – for Ucore and for North American critical mineral processing,” said Ucore chairman and CEO Pat Ryan.
“We are very fortunate to have a host of strong partners at the local, regional, state, and federal levels. This includes the England Authority, Louisiana Central, the State of Louisiana, and the U.S. Department of Defense. We thank all of our supporters as we continue our work to develop a secure, domestic rare earth element supply chain.”
The Louisiana SMC is the first step in Ucore’s commercial deployment of the RapidSX™ technology platform, a patent-pending advanced solvent extraction process that aims to reshape the rare earth industry with faster, more efficient, and more environmentally sound separation methods.
Once operational, the SMC will produce commercial quantities of critical rare earth elements, such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium, which are essential to produce rare earth permanent magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and national defense applications.
The project has significant federal and state funding.
Ucore recently agreed on an $18.4 million project extension from the U.S. Department of Defense under the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program. This grant funding will be used to initiate construction and equipment procurement for the Louisiana SMC. The DoD support reflects the strategic importance of securing a domestic supply chain for rare earth materials critical to national defense, Ucore officials said.
In addition to federal funding, the State of Louisiana and local partners have assembled a $15 million incentive package, including:
Industrial Tax Exemption Program (“ITEP”): up to $8.2 million in ad-valorem tax savings over 10 years;
Infrastructure Grant: $900,000 for facility upgrades;
Facility Offset: $360,000 over 24 months to reduce initial lease costs;
Additional support includes payroll rebates, LED FastStart™ workforce training, and expedited state permitting, officials said.
Ucore’s press release said the incentives underscore Louisiana’s commitment to establishing Alexandria as a key node in North America’s emerging critical mineral supply chain.
England Airpark has been a critical partner in supporting Ucore’s vision for the Strategic Metals Complex. As the operator of the former England Air Force Base, the England Authority has transformed the site into a thriving commercial and industrial hub.
England Airpark has provided Ucore with a strategically located, infrastructure-ready site within a federally designated Foreign Trade Zone. This allows Ucore to benefit from potential duty deferrals, reductions, or eliminations on imported feedstock materials, enhancing the global competitiveness of its rare earth processing operations.