Phoenix Tailings Eyes IPO to Expand U.S. Rare Earth Refining Ambitions

Highlights

• Massachusetts-based Phoenix Tailings recycles mining waste to extract critical rare earth elements for EVs, defense, and electronics.
• Company aims to expand from 40-ton to 4,000-ton annual capacity.
• Backed by BMW, Yamaha, Sumitomo, and U.S. Department of Energy.
• Strategic effort to challenge China’s 70% global rare earth production.
• Enhance U.S. supply chain independence.

Phoenix Tailings, (opens in a new tab) a Massachusetts-based rare earth metals refiner, is planning an initial public offering (IPO) within the next three years, according to CEO and co-founder Nick Myers. The company, founded six years ago, recycles mining waste to extract critical rare earth elements—vital to EVs, defense systems, and electronics.

Currently operating a 40-ton-per-year facility in Massachusetts, Phoenix Tailings just launched a New Hampshire plant with 200-ton annual capacity and plans to scale further with a 4,000-ton-per-year refinery in West Virginia, Nevada, or Texas. The firm has received backing from venture arms of BMW, Yamaha, and Sumitomo, along with U.S. Department of Energy funding.

Phoenix Tailings’ growth comes amid a strategic shift in the U.S. and allied nations to break China’s dominance in the rare earth supply chain. China holds a considerable amount of global reserves and accounts for 70% of mined production. As such, Phoenix’s domestic refining push is both a commercial and geopolitical play—offering a critical piece of a more secure and independent rare earth ecosystem.

See the Bloomberg News (opens in a new tab) report by Elise Harris & James Mayger

To go public, a rare earth refining company typically must demonstrate commercial readiness, stable offtake agreements, and meaningful progress in project development or operations. Investors expect the company to have completed feasibility studies (ideally a definitive feasibility study), secured necessary permits, and shown the ability to produce separated rare earth oxides at scale.

Capital markets also look for signed contracts or letters of intent with downstream customers—especially in magnets, defense, or clean tech industries—to validate demand. While pre-revenue companies can IPO on junior exchanges (like Canada’s TSX-V), larger markets (e.g., NASDAQ, ASX main board, LSE) favor companies with at least early revenue and a clear path to positive EBITDA within a few years. Typical revenue targets vary, and of course there are upstart publicly trade prospectors with little revenue, but $50–$100 million annually with a clear upward trajectory is often a threshold for serious institutional interest.

Rare earth refinersare judged not just by revenue, but by strategic relevance.Margins can be tight—often in the 10–20% range depending on the product mix—but growth potential is what drives valuations. Companies positioned to supply neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium—critical for magnets in EVs, wind turbines, and defense—at nonchains facilities carry significant geopolitical and commercial value. What makes rare earths unique is the vertically integrated, state-backed dominance of China, which controls over 85% of global separation capacity. Refiners outside China are not just commodity plays—they're national security assets. This gives rare earth companies a rare blend of industrial, policy, and ESG upside, if they can scale cleanly and secure feedstock.