Highlights

• Aclara Resources plans $1.3B investment to develop rare earth projects in:
  • ChileBrazilThe U.S.
• The company seeks to create an independent rare earth supply chain from ore extraction to magnet production.
• Challenges include:
  • Environmental approvals
  • Indigenous consultations
  • Breaking China's 85% global rare earth separation dominance

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Aclara Resources, the Toronto-listed junior with big ambitions, says it will marshal $1.3 billion to reshape the rare earths map: $150–170M into Chile, $600M into Brazil, and the rest into U.S. separation and metallization plants. The timeline? Feasibility by mid-2026, shovels in the ground that same year, and production humming by 2028. That’s the glossy version, confirmed by Reuters and MiningWeekly.

The Harder Kernel of Truth

Aclara is not vaporware. It runs a pilot heavy rare earth plant in Brazil, with ionic clays holding promise for dysprosium and terbium. It secured up to $80M from CAP S.A. for its Chilean arm, REE Uno—real money for a project still on the drawing board. These are the bones behind the billion-dollar boast.

Note Aclara is ranked at number ten on the REEx Heavy Rare Earth Element Project/Deposit Database.

Where the Story Stretches Thin

REEx is watching Aclara carefully.  The $1.3B figure thus far is in the plan, but not yet  a done deal. Key factors range from environmental approvals, indigenous consultations, and project finance. Rare earth separation is notoriously unforgiving, and metallization is a whole other frontier—R&D heavy, capital hungry, and failure-prone. And while Aclara talks of “mine-to-magnet independence,” China of course still controls over 85% of global separation and nearly all downstream alloying. Betting on a smooth glide path to 2028 is unlikely.  But such drive will be necessary for resilient rare earth supply chains ex China.

The Geopolitical Costume Change

Aclara wraps itself in geopolitics: freedom from China, magnets for EVs, turbines, defense. It’s the right script for Washington and Brasília, but it also cloaks a truth investors must grapple with—Latin America’s permitting gridlock, infrastructure gaps, and volatile politics could be real bottlenecks. Brazil has the geology, yes, but also layers of environmental red tape and community pushback. Chile? Already juggling lithium tensions with a skeptical public. Recent articles don’t touch these risks, but investors should.

Why Rare Earth Investors Must Pay Attention

This is not just another junior waving drill results. Aclara is positioning as a full-chain contender: ore to separation to magnet metal. If it works, that’s a direct shot at China’s monopoly. But milestones are key:

• Independent pilot data, not company-curated numbers.
• Real offtake contracts for separated oxides alloys.
• Debt and equity commitments beyond feasibility studies.
• Local political acceptance in Brazil and Chile.

Bottom Line

Aclara’s announcement is a signal worth watching, but it’s also heavy on ambition—and this is a good thing given the current state of affairs. But for rare earth investors we still consider a blinking yellow. Until Aclara proves it can finance, permit, separate, and sell into real markets, the $1.3B vision remains a high-stakes gamble, but an important one worthy of ex-China attention.

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