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April 7, 2026

St George Mining has contracted Técnicas Reunidas to process rare earths in Brazil

  • Both companies have entered into a strategic engineering alliance under which Técnicas Reunidas will carry out processing test work on high-concentration rare earths at the project being developed by St George Mining in Araxá, a municipality in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
  • Araxá is the largest hard-rock rare earths deposit in South America and one of the largest in the world.
  • Técnicas Reunidas will contribute its proprietary technology, RARETECH®, to the project, enabling the production of rare-earth concentrates in the form of carbonates from ores.
  • At the end of last February, the Spanish company also reached an agreement with the Australian firm Osmond Resources to provide the RARETECH® technology for the European Union’s first fully-fledged rare earth production project, which is being developed in Jaén (see information on this project)
  • RARETECH® is part of Técnicas Reunidas’ portfolio of proprietary technologies for the recovery of critical raw materials, rare earths, and other products that the Spanish company has already supplied or tendered in the United States, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, Spain, South Africa, Brazil, and Turkey.

The Australian company St George Mining Limited has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Técnicas Reunidas, under which it will contract the Spanish company to complete processing test work on samples of the rare earth resources of the deposit of Araxá, a town in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.

St George Mining is the 100% owner of this high-grade niobium and rare earths deposit, the largest hard-rock deposit in South America and among the largest in the world. It is also larger than the principal rare earths mine in the United States, located in the California town of Mountain Pass.

The Australian company, which specializes in developing critical mineral recovery projects, has described the agreement as a “strategic engineering alliance to access cutting-edge European rare earth processing technology”. In particular, it has highlighted the proprietary technological solutions developed by Técnicas Reunidas for the recovery of critical materials and, more specifically, the fact that the company is the lead partner in the EU-funded PERMANET project, which aims to create the first European value chain for the manufacture of permanent magnets.

Scope of Técnicas Reunidas’ work

The initial scope of work to be carried out by Técnicas Reunidas will consist of applying RARETECH® technology for the refining of rare-earth mineralization, including the production of mixed carbonate and rare-earth oxides, as well as the separation and fractionation of rare-earth elements.

Furthermore, St George Mining could request additional work from Técnicas Reunidas, including the design of a flow diagram and an industrial plant for rare-earth processing, amongst other tasks.

St George Mining, which already has the Brazil project at an advanced stage of development and has half a dozen more in Australia, has highlighted that the contract with Técnicas Reunidas has the potential to open up European markets to Araxá’s rare earths and joins the strategic alliances the Australian company has already signed with REalloys in the US and with MagBras in Brazil.

John Prineas, CEO of St George Mining, stated that “we are very excited to be working with Técnicas Reunidas to further assess the optimal processing route for the Araxa rare earths. The reputation of Técnicas Reunidas in Europe is second to none regarding rare earths processing and we are very pleased to be able to access their expertise and further assess the optimal processing strategy for our Araxa rare earths”.

Técnicas Reunidas’ technologies for recovering critical materials

At the end of last February, the Spanish company also reached an agreement with the Australian firm Osmond Resources to provide RARETECH® technology for the European Union’s first comprehensive rare earth production project, which is being developed across an area of over 220 square kilometers in the north of the province of Jaén. (see information on this project)

RARETECH® is part of the wide range of technological solutions that Técnicas Reunidas has developed through its In-House Technology Development Division and Technology Center for the recovery, processing, and refining of critical minerals and essential metals, as well as other products generated through the circular economy. These in-house technological solutions are already in operation or are being put out to tender in the United States, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, Spain, South Africa, Brazil, and Turkey, among other markets.

Furthermore, the company actively participates in the development of national and international projects related to critical raw materials, particularly within the framework of the Misiones Programs of the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and the Horizon program of the European Union.

About Técnicas Reunidas

Técnicas Reunidas is a global engineering firm. It has developed over 2,600 projects in more than 70 countries in its 66-year history.

It specializes in the design and construction of large industrial plants dedicated primarily to producing clean fuels, natural gas, and chemicals.

The company is also at the forefront of technologies and solutions related to the energy transition, the circular economy, and the decarbonization of facilities.

With a workforce of nearly 14,000 employees—most of whom are highly qualified engineers—the company’s headquarters in Spain is a major engineering center of excellence.

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