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A rare earth metal company plans to open in Exeter. Their promise? No emissions.

Phoenix Tailings plans to produce rare earth metals, including Dysprosium, Terbium, and a Neodymium-Praseodymium alloy, at the Exeter facility.
Courtesy, Phoenix Tailings
Phoenix Tailings plans to produce rare earth metals, including Dysprosium, Terbium, and a Neodymium-Praseodymium alloy, at the Exeter facility.

Massachusetts-based mining and metal production company Phoenix Tailings is planning to open a facility in Exeter this year. The company says it would be a first-of-its-kind operation in the U.S.

The company has not yet applied for permits from state regulators, and Exeter officials said they hadn’t been contacted about their plans to open in July. But company officials say they will coordinate with state and local officials once they have finalized design plans.

If they open in Exeter as planned, the facility would produce the kind of critical minerals used for a variety of technology, including electric vehicle batteries. But the company says they’ve come up with a new process that avoids the hazards associated with traditional mining.

“Our whole goal at Phoenix is to be the world's first fully clean mining and metals production company with zero waste, zero emissions all the way through,” CEO Nick Myers told NHPR.

The name “tailings” comes from the word for mining waste, which the company plans to eventually harvest for rare earth elements. But at least until 2027, all the material processed by their New Hampshire facility will come from major mining companies and recyclers in the U.S. and allied countries, Myers said. That material is essentially special dirt, he said.

The company, which is backed by funding from BMW and Yamaha, plans to begin producing metals at the Exeter facility in July. That facility will be used to meet the demands of a $100 million contract between Phoenix Tailings and an undisclosed automotive company, which plans to use the metals in electric vehicles.

Myers said the company also plans to to sell metals to the U.S. defense industry and to be used in medical devices.

Phoenix Tailings is planning to operate at 100 Domain Dr., a building off of Route 101 between Exeter and Hampton. Myers said it’s not yet clear how many jobs will be linked to the facility, but they’re hoping to hire about 30 people in the initial stages and increase as the operation grows.


What are rare earth elements?

Most of the rare earth elements, scientists say, are not as rare as their name implies. They’re a set of elements that are commonly found together in the earth’s crust. Certain elements are important for clean energy technology, military technology, and electronics. For example, they can be used to make strong magnets, which are used in cars.

The elements don’t turn up individually, like nuggets of gold or copper, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. After they’re scooped out of the ground, they need to be processed. That’s the step Phoenix Tailings is focused on.

China refines about 90% of rare earth elements and controls much of the critical mineral supply needed to make things like smartphones, electric vehicles, lightbulbs, and wind turbines. China’s grip on the industry has sparked increasing uncertainty in recent months with the country imposing bans on exports of certain minerals.

Much of the nation’s critical metals prospects are concentrated in Western states. A mine in Mountain Pass, California is the only large-scale source of domestic rare earth elements. Until 2023, that mine was sending its material to China for processing.

Phoenix Tailings currently has three rare earth element products – Ferro-Dysprosium alloy, Neodymium and Dysprosium – available for sample orders on their website. The Exeter plant is expected to produce Dysprosium, Terbium, a Neodymium-Praseodymium alloy, and a Ferro-Dysprosium alloy.

Phoenix Tailings currently operates an engineering facility in Massachusetts, but plans to scale up significantly by coming to New Hampshire.
Courtesy, Phoenix Tailings
Phoenix Tailings currently operates an engineering facility in Massachusetts, but plans to scale up significantly by coming to New Hampshire.

Part of their goal with the New Hampshire facility, Myers said, is to move more critical metals manufacturing to the United States. The company makes a point of neither selling to nor buying from China.

“One thing we are all galvanized to do is to help re-shore American manufacturing jobs,” he said. “And I think New Hampshire is a great place to start.”

Myers, who was born in Connecticut, said he’s hoping to continue building the company in New England.


Emissions-free metal production

Rare earth element production is somewhat infamous for the danger it poses to the environment and to the health of people exposed. The Guardian reported in 2014 that for every ton of rare earth elements produced, 2,000 tons of toxic waste is created.

But Phoenix Tailings is planning to produce 200 tons of metals and alloys a year in New Hampshire, and their goal is to do so without any air and water emissions, or any waste.

That would be a big increase from their operations at present, which happen at a smaller-scale engineering facility in Massachusetts.

“We have a novel technology. We have 34 patents and trade secrets around our process, designed entirely to mitigate pollution. So it's all about maintaining everything in the system,” Myers said.

Anthony Balladon, a co-founder of the company, said they anticipated needing a state air emissions permit for their operations. He said they might also need a hazardous waste permit “despite not creating any toxic byproducts,” depending on decisions from state regulators.

New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services said they had not received any permit applications from Phoenix Tailings as of late January. Jim Martin, a spokesperson for the agency, said it would be difficult to say which permits they might need and how long permitting might take without knowing more about the facility’s operations.

Exeter’s town manager, Russ Dean, and the town’s director of economic development, Darren Winham, both said in late January they had not yet received communication from the company about their plans to open a facility in town.

But, Winham said, he’d heard about the project and was supportive.

“We’re obviously excited a business is going to pick up that much space in our town,” he said. “We certainly want to give them any assistance we can.”

Balladon said the company was still in planning stages but will meet with local officials in Exeter once they finalize a design plan. He also said they plan to build a relationship with the local fire department.

Phoenix Tailings is a member of the New Hampshire Tech Alliance, and the company said they are hoping to work with other community groups.

“We do look to work with any different community group that's willing to work with us in any way, shape or form,” Myers said. “We want to be a key part of the community.”

Mara Hoplamazian reports on climate change, energy, and the environment for NHPR.
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