Arafura Nolans Rare Earths Project
Arafura Rare Earths' Nolans project 135 km north of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, combining a rare earths mine with on-site beneficiation, extraction and separation plants targeting initial production of 4,440 tonnes per annum of NdPr oxide. Supported by a Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility loan of up to A$200 million and Export Finance Australia support comprising approximately A$140 million of invested equity and a debt commitment of up to A$700 million. Final investment decision announced 21 May 2026, with Arafura stating it would move to commence construction.
Location: Nolans site, 135 km north of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
Mining and beneficiation
Financed
Rare earths mine with on-site beneficiation plant producing a rare earth concentrate for the co-located extraction and separation plants
Material flow
Rare Earth Ore → Monazite Concentrate
Capacity
Qualification
Extraction and separation (NdPr oxide)
Financed
On-site extraction and separation plants producing separated neodymium-praseodymium oxide, targeting initial production of 4,440 tonnes per annum
Material flow
Monazite Concentrate → NdPr Oxide
Capacity
4,440 t/year · Product mass · Target · as of Jan 1, 2024
Qualification
Sources
- Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility · published Jan 1, 2024 · retrieved Aug 11, 2026 · archive
- Export Finance Australia · published May 21, 2026 · retrieved Aug 11, 2026 · archive unavailable: No Wayback snapshot found via redirect and follow probes on the 2026-08-12 backfill pass; capture remains queued