US-based Critical Metals Corp. has announced that its flagship Tanbreez rare earth project has received formal mining plan and closure plan approvals from the government of Greenland, paving the way for a 24-year mine life.
A total of 19 critical elements have been approved for extraction, including heavy rare earths terbium, dysprosium and yttrium, the magnet metals neodymium and praseodymium, and the strategic metals zirconium, hafnium, tantalum and niobium.
The approvals were granted to the company’s Greenlandic subsidiary, Tanbreez Mining Greenland A/S, on September 29, 2026.
"[The approval] gives us a clear framework through 2050 to responsibly develop one of the world’s largest heavy rare earth deposits, in partnership with the government of Greenland and the communities of South Greenland," said Critical Metals chairman and CEO Tony Sage.
"We now move forward with the specific operating permits that will take us to construction."
The mining plan sets out how the company will build and operate the mine, processing facilities, port and supporting infrastructure at Tanbreez. The closure plan sets out how the site will be decommissioned and rehabilitated at the end of its life.
Production is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2028 or the first quarter of 2029 with the initial capacity of about 85 000 tonnes per year and a potential modular expansion to 425 000 tonnes per year.
Theodor Lisovoy, Managing Editor, Rough&Polished
