The Department of Defense announced a $725 million conditional loan commitment to Energy Fuels to expand domestic rare earth processing and fund a new facility in the U.S. This move is part of a broader federal strategy to build a domestic critical minerals supply chain independent of China. The announcement highlights the U.S. government's increasing support for rare earth and critical minerals companies through equity stakes, loans, and offtake agreements.

Critical Metals, a smaller rare-earth element company, has gained 30% since early 2025 and is developing the Tanbreez Project in Greenland, one of the world's largest hard rock rare earth deposits. The company has secured $124 million in cash, increased its Tanbreez ownership to 92.5%, and signed offtake agreements with Saudi Arabian and European partners. However, mining operations are not expected to begin until Q4 2028/Q1 2029, making it a high-risk, high-potential investment dependent on successful project execution.

Greenland Mines Ltd announced a strategic investment in AnorTech Inc., acquiring a 9.9% stake with an option to increase to 19.9%. The move signals a shift in critical-minerals strategy from upstream mining to midstream processing and conversion, positioning the company to capture value through industrial processing rather than just resource extraction. This aligns with broader Western efforts to reduce dependence on Chinese processing dominance in critical materials.

Western governments are mobilizing capital around critical minerals supply security. Greenland Mines' Skaergaard PGM-gold deposit in Southeast Greenland, valued at approximately $68 billion, is advancing from technical study to active project execution. The deposit contains 25.4 Moz palladium-equivalent and 23.5 Moz gold-equivalent, equivalent to 13-15 years of U.S. palladium consumption. Other Western critical minerals developers including NioCorp, MP Materials, Critical Metals, and USA Rare Earth are also advancing projects amid rising palladium and rare earth prices and increased government support.

REalloys has committed $20.6 million to upgrade Saskatchewan Research Council's rare earth processing facility and secured exclusive long-term supply rights to NdPr metals and heavy rare earth oxides. The company is on track to deliver commercial-scale heavy rare earth production by early 2027, ahead of U.S. defense procurement restrictions on Chinese materials. REalloys recently raised $50 million and is positioning itself as the Western Hemisphere's first fully compliant heavy rare earth metals supplier.

Global demand for nickel and cobalt is surging due to electric vehicle expansion and renewable energy projects. The nickel market is projected to exceed $60 billion while cobalt could reach over $20 billion by decade's end. Supply security concerns are driving interest in North American mining projects, with junior exploration companies attracting investor attention for high-grade deposits that offer lower production costs.

Critical Metals Corp. (NASDAQ: CRML) announced it has received formal approval from the Greenland government to acquire a 70% majority interest in 60° North ApS, a Greenland-based provider of construction, logistics, and drilling services. The approval satisfies a key closing condition for the transaction announced in March 2026 and accelerates development of the company's Tanbreez Project, one of the world's largest rare earth deposits located in southern Greenland.

Tungsten prices have surged 900% over 12 months to ~$3,185/MTU amid Chinese export restrictions and a January 2027 U.S. defense procurement ban on Chinese tungsten. Western Star Resources submitted a DIBC application for its Rowland tungsten property in Nevada, positioning itself to capitalize on the urgent need for domestic U.S. tungsten supply before the federal deadline. The company is planning a maiden drill program in 2026 and securing non-dilutive financing through flow-through shares.

Critical Metals Corp. (NASDAQ: CRML) has completed its acquisition of the remaining 50.5% stake in Tanbreez Mining Greenland A/S, increasing its total ownership to 92.5%. The company issued 14.5 million shares to close the transaction and plans to focus on advancing the Tanbreez rare earth deposit to production. Critical Metals also announced a non-binding letter of intent to acquire European Lithium Ltd.'s remaining 7.5% stake to achieve 100% ownership.

Critical Metals Corp. (NASDAQ: CRML) announced a proposed acquisition of European Lithium Ltd. (ASX: EUR) for approximately US$835 million, with European Lithium shareholders receiving 0.035 Critical Metals shares per share held. The transaction aims to consolidate 100% ownership of the Tanbreez rare earth project in Greenland, strengthen Critical Metals' balance sheet with ~US$219 million in cash, and reduce shareholder dilution by canceling European Lithium's 34% stake in Critical Metals. Completion is expected in the second half of 2026, subject to definitive agreement and regulatory approvals.

Critical Metals has gained majority control (92.5%) of the Tanbreez Project in Greenland, a resource-rich deposit containing heavy rare-earth elements essential for defense and renewable energy. The project features high-grade ore concentration and has secured $120 million in U.S. EXIM Bank support. However, the analyst recommends investors watch the stock rather than buy now, as significant time and capital are still needed for development, with first ore production targeted for late 2028 or early 2029.

The rare earth elements (REE) market is projected to grow from $4 billion in 2024 to $6.3 billion by 2030, driven by EV adoption and renewable energy expansion. Apex Critical Metals reported strong drill results at its Rift project in Nebraska, including 81.6m at 2.02% REO with a highly enriched NdPr zone. Other industry players are advancing projects: USA Rare Earth commissioned its magnet production line, MP Materials selected a site for its 10X manufacturing campus in Texas, and NioCorp began construction on its Elk Creek project portal.