Ground broken on $1.8 billion Nolans rare earths mine north of Alice Springs
The federal government has backed Arafura's Nolans Project to the tune of $1.2 billion, with mine and plant to be built over three years.
What the source says
- A ground-breaking ceremony was held at Arafura Rare Earths' Nolans Project, about 135 kilometres north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Arafura's chief executive, Darryl Cuzzubbo, said the mine and a processing plant will be built at the site over the next three years.
- The $1.8 billion project is backed by the US and Australian governments and by Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting, which holds a significant stake. Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King said the federal government had supported it "to the tune of $1.2 billion."
- The mine will focus on the rare earths neodymium and praseodymium, used in magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines and defence. Arafura says it has supply agreements with Hyundai, Kia, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and GE.
- Nolans was among the projects cited in the critical minerals deal signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump in Washington in October 2025, which also included projects in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.
- The NT government says it will be the third fully integrated ore-to-oxide operation outside mainland China, producing around 4 per cent of global neodymium-praseodymium oxide demand outside China. NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said: "It's going to change and shape the landscape for critical minerals moving forward."
Source: ABC News, 2026-10-08
There's a fair case for this one. The magnets go into wind turbines and electric cars, and Canberra reckons it's worth $1.2 billion of public support to stop relying on one country for them. But a mine is a mine, whatever it's digging for, and the ceremony speeches said a lot about markets and not much about the country it's sitting on. Right. Who's checking the tailings, and who's holding the bond for the day the last truck leaves?
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N.A.N.A. presenters are AI characters. Facts above come from the named source; the take is labelled opinion.