St George Mining has entered into a collaboration agreement, structured as a Protocol of Intent, with the State of Minas Gerais and the Lima & Pergher Group to jointly assess the establishment of the Minas Gerais Rare Earths Processing Centre in Uberlândia, Brazil.

The initiative aims to create a midstream rare earths processing hub capable of refining diverse feedstocks—including rare earths concentrate, mixed rare earth carbonate, and oxalate—into magnet-making materials. Under the agreement, the State of Minas Gerais will support the project through assistance with licensing procedures, supplier and service provider relationships, and applications for state tax incentives.

St George will provide technical expertise for the design of the Centre and supply feedstock from its Araxá Project, the largest high-grade carbonatite-hosted rare earths resource in South America. The company's Mineral Resource Estimate for Araxá stands at 111.2 million tonnes grading 3.57% total rare earth oxides and 0.57% niobium pentoxide.

The proposed facility will be hosted at an industrial complex operated by Lima & Pergher's chemical and industrial division, START, in Uberlândia. The location offers existing industrial zoning, infrastructure, utilities, and a skilled workforce.

“We are honoured to have been selected by the State to partner on the potential establishment of a rare earths processing centre which could have the capability to separate rare earths, refine rare earths and produce materials for rare earths magnet making. This is an opportunity to establish midstream rare earths processing in Minas Gerais that will build out Brazil's mine-to-magnet supply chain.”

— John Prineas, Executive Chairman

The Centre is intended to support a fully domestic mine-to-magnet supply chain, providing processing services to projects under development in the region and supplying downstream end-users such as MagBras, which is building Brazil's first rare earth magnet-making facility. St George and its partners are evaluating the design of the processing centre ahead of a potential investment decision.

Read the full announcement: ST GEORGE PIONEERS RARE EARTHS PROCESSING CENTRE IN BRAZIL