Greenland Mines seeks to double rare-earth mining district size

Greenland Mines has applied to double the size of its Sarfartoq rare earth district in southwest Greenland, expanding the area from 74 square miles to approximately 175 square miles. The North Carolina-based company aims to supply magnet metals, specifically neodymium and praseodymium, which are essential for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defense systems.

The project seeks to reduce Western dependence on China, which currently controls at least 75 percent of the global market for rare earth elements. If successful, the Greenland Mines project is expected to produce roughly one-third of the world’s neodymium-praseodymium oxide refined outside of China.

This expansion follows a security agreement announced by President Donald Trump with Greenland and Denmark. The agreement includes provisions to prevent adversaries from making sensitive investments in Greenland without express written approval from the United States. Greenland Mines stated that this framework helps make large undeveloped rare earth deposits more accessible to allied supply chains.