Ramaco’s Wyoming Gambit: From Coal to Critical Minerals

Nov 1, 2025

Highlights

  • Ramaco Resources is transforming from a metallurgical coal company into a U.S. critical minerals producer.
  • The company reports a 175% increase in rare earth oxide output at its Brook Mine in Wyoming.
  • Currently, Ramaco Resources has $272 million in liquidity.
  • They have established a five-year DOE CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement).
  • The company projects $1.04 billion in revenue and $552 million in EBITDA at steady state.
  • Ramaco aims to be a top U.S. producer of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium through its mid-2026 Pilot Oxide Facility.
  • They are partnering with Goldman Sachs to build a Strategic Critical Minerals Terminal.
  • Ramaco is establishing itself as both a miner and logistics player in America's domestic mineral supply chain.
  • The company is working to reduce dependence on China for critical minerals.

Ramaco Resources (opens in a new tab) (NASDAQ: METC, METCB) is rewriting its corporate DNA. Once a metallurgical coal player, the firm now rides the rising tide of Americaโ€™s critical mineral reawakening. At its Brook Mine in Wyoming, Ramaco claims a 175% increase in projected rare earth oxide output and a five-year DOE Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

The CRADAโ€™s scopeโ€”ranging from AI-driven mineral exploration to quantum computing for materials scienceโ€”is ambitious and unmistakably political: it signals Washingtonโ€™s intent to anchor domestic supply chains before the next shock from Beijing. Ramacoโ€™s timing is impeccable. The companyโ€™s liquidity now stands at $272 million, fortified by a $200 million equity raise, giving it one of the strongest balance sheets in the U.S. metallurgical coal sector.

Building a โ€œBrook Mine Doctrineโ€

Ramacoโ€™s expansion plan reads like a blueprint for strategic autonomy. Its Pilot Oxide Facility, slated for mid-2026, will process several tons of REE-rich feedstock per day. The companyโ€™s own modeling projects $1.04 billion in revenue and $552 million in EBITDA at steady stateโ€”a bold forecast but one that, if realized, would place Ramaco among the top U.S. producers of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium.

Equally notable is the firmโ€™s collaboration with Goldman Sachs to create a Strategic Critical Minerals Terminal (SCMT)โ€”a physical stockpile and distribution hub linked by BNSF rail and interstate highway. That move positions Ramaco not just as a miner, but as a logistics and security player in the nationโ€™s mineral defense base.

Sorting Fact, Hope, and Hype

From Rare Earth Exchangesโ€™ perspective, the facts align with Ramacoโ€™s filings and DOE partnerships. The company truly does possess a rare-earth-bearing deposit verified by NETL and is advancing tangible infrastructure. Yet, internal EBITDA projections north of half a billion are speculative until commercial separation yields are proven. Investors should also temper expectations: Brook Mineโ€™s REE grades remain modest compared to global leaders like Bayan Obo or Mountain Pass.

Bias is evident in Streetwise Reportsโ€™ (opens in a new tab) tone, which frames Ramaco as a near-inevitable U.S. champion. While optimism is warranted, the โ€œ$1 billion per yearโ€ language reads more promotional than empirical. What is real, however, is Ramacoโ€™s strategic optionalityโ€”a dual platform spanning met coal cash flow and critical-mineral upside, a combination few peers can match.

Why This Matters

Ramaco embodies a rare species in the energy transition ecosystem: a coal miner metamorphosing into a cornerstone of the U.S. rare earth industrial base. If Brook Mine succeeds, it could mark a symbolic pivot in American extractive strategyโ€”from dependence to deterrence.

Citation: Streetwise Reports, โ€œRare Earth Breakthrough in Wyoming Sparks Strategic US Momentum,โ€ Oct. 31, 2025.

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By Daniel

Inspired to launch Rare Earth Exchanges in part due to his lifelong passion for geology and mineralogy, and patriotism, to ensure America and free market economies develop their own rare earth and critical mineral supply chains.

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