In 2028, Russia is set to start the construction of its first plant for manufacturing permanent magnets from rare-earth metals (REM) in the city of Glazov, to be commissioned in 2029 with an initial capacity of 500 tonnes per year, said Andrey Andrianov, CEO of Rosatom MetallTech.
The company is implementing the project in partnership with Udmurtia’s regional government.
Andrianov stated that plans are in place to subsequently increase the plant's output to 1,000 tonnes and later to 3,000 tonnes.
Acting Head of Udmurtia Olga Abramova noted that the plant will help develop other regional industries, including the localization of electric vehicle production and the manufacturing of electric motors using domestically produced magnets at the Sarapul Electric Generator Plant.
In 2025, demand for rare-earth permanent magnets in Russia exceeded 700 tonnes. Neodymium and praseodymium account for the bulk of REM consumption in magnet production, while dysprosium, terbium, and samarium are becoming increasingly important for high-temperature applications.
Demand for these materials is driven by the electric transport, robotics, wind energy, aviation, and defence industries.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished
