Defense Metals (TSXV: DEFN) announced on Tuesday the execution of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ucore Rare Metals (TSXV: UCU) to explore collaborative opportunities as both companies move towards their respective commercialization efforts for a North American rare earth element (REE) supply chain.
As one of the first projects under this MOU, Defense Metals will ship a mixed rare earth carbonate sample from its wholly-owned Wicheeda REE project in British Columbia to Ucore’s commercialization and demonstration facility (CDF) in Kingston, Ontario.
The Wicheeda project is located 80 km from Prince George, BC. The deposit has a measured and indicated resource estimate of 34.2 million tonnes averaging 2.02% TREO, containing 699,000 tonnes of oxides. The inferred portion includes 11.1 million tonnes at 1.02%, containing 113,000 tonnes TREO.
SGS Canada in Lakefield, Ontario, will ship the sample to Ucore’s CDF on behalf of Defense Metals. This sample was generated during 2023 hydrometallurgical piloting test work performed on concentrate produced by earlier flotation pilot plant testing of a 26-tonne bulk sample from Wicheeda.
Defense Metals CEO Craig Taylor said the company expects to ship a mixed rare earth carbonate sample in the next few weeks to Ucore’s demonstration plant for testing.
“The Wicheeda project is being developed as a viable source of REE from North America and as more processing and separation facilities become operational in the future, the demand for REE feedstock will be increasingly important,” Taylor said in Tuesday’s news release. “This MOU with Ucore is a further step in that direction to be part of the Western world’s REE supply chain.”
Ucore CEO Pat Ryan said the MOU lays out the framework for Defense Metals’ technically strong and readily accessible North American REE resource to be further processed and refined using Ucore’s Canadian-founded technology, RapidSX.
“Receiving the sample mixed rare earth carbonate at our Kingston CDF will start the process of determining what may be possible between the companies as we collectively look to fuel the 21st Century energy transition,” Ryan added.
