Mt Weld, Laverton Western Australia

The Mt Weld rare earths deposit sits in a two billion year old volcanic plug. Our Mt Weld mine is one of the world’s most valuable rare earths deposits, favoured by its high grade and long life. The Mt Weld deposit contains both Light and Heavy Rare Earth elements.

Mt Weld’s high grade and close to surface mineralised zone mean that the mine itself is relatively small and shallow compared to many other mines.

In keeping with our approach to sustainability, Lynas aims to utilise as much of the ore that is removed from the mine pit as possible. Our product range includes over 15 different products and we invest in research and development into new products and new market applications for our products.

Ore mined from the Mt Weld deposit is trucked to our on-site concentration plant. The ore goes through a number of processes – including crushing, grinding, flotation, and filtration – to produce a mixed rare earths concentrate.

The rare earths concentrate is transported in half height containers (called rotainers) to our Kalgoorlie Processing Facility for initial processing or shipped to the Lynas Malaysia refinery for processing and production of finished rare earths products. Read about our Kalgoorlie and Malaysia rare earth processing facilities.

Lynas’ Mt Weld mine

Resource and Reserve

On 5 August 2024, Lynas announced a Mt Weld Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve Update*. This included a 92% increase in Mineral Resources^ and a 63% increase in Ore Reserves^^, with a significant increase in contained Heavy Rare Earth mineralisation. As noted in the FY24 Annual Report, the Ore Reserve update will support:

• a >35 year mine life at production rates for sufficient concentrate feedstock for production capacity of 7,200 tpa NdPr (Neodymium Praseodymium) oxide finished product; and
• a >20 year mine life at expanded production rates for sufficient concentrate feedstock for production capacity of 12,000tpa of NdPr oxide finished product in line with Mt Weld expansion capacity (currently under construction).

The Mt Weld Rare Earth Mineral Resources estimate is now 106.6 million tonnes at an average grade of 4.12% Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) for a total of 4.39 million tonnes of contained TREO. A Mineral Resource cut-off grade of 2.5% TREO was applied.

Compared to the August 2018 Mineral Resources estimate, the Mineral Resources has increased 92% from 55.4 Mt to 106.6 Mt and contained TREO has increased by 46% from 3.0 million to 4.39 million tonnes TREO, successfully adding resources and replacing depletion.

The Mt Weld Rare Earth Ore Reserves are now 32.0 million tonnes at 6.4% TREO for 2.0 million tonnes of contained TREO. This now includes Mt Weld processing tailings with an average 7.3% TREO for 117,265 tonnes.

Compared to the August 2018 Ore Reserves, the 2024 Ore Reserve:

• Ore Reserves tonnage has increased 63%;
• Average grade has reduced from 8.6% to 6.4% TREO, reflecting depletion and a revised cut-off grade;
• Contained TREO has increased 22% from 1.690 million to 2.064 million tonnes;
• Contained Dy oxide has increased 92% from 6,660 tonnes to 12,790 tonnes.

Read the full announcement here: 2024 Mineral Ore Resource and Ore Reserve Update

Footnotes: 

* See announcement at: 2024 Mineral Ore Resource and Ore Reserve Update 

^ Mineral Resource cut-off grade of 2.5% TREO applied

^^ Reserves cutoff of 2.8% TREO compared to 4.0% TREO used for 2018 Reserves

An Ore Reserve update is published each year in the Lynas Annual Report available at: Lynas Annual Reports

Environmental Reporting

Lynas has submitted its Compliance Assessment Report (CAR) for the Mt Weld Rare Earths Project to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

CAR has been prepared to fulfill compliance reporting obligations and to provide the EPA with an update of activities associated with implementation of the proposal. The scope of this CAR includes activities described in MS1216 undertaken between the reporting period of 1st January 2025 to 31st December 2025. You can view the CAR here.

View the Mt Weld Environmental Management Plan here.

Lynas in the Community

Lynas aims to make a positive contribution to the communities where we live and work. Lynas is proud to support local community groups and events in Laverton. You can read more about Lynas and our work in the Community in our Goldfields Community Updates which are available twice a year. To receive the latest updates direct to your inbox, you can join our mailing list here.

Goldfields Community Update – March 2025

Lynas Local Giving Program

Lynas makes it a priority to take an active role in building better communities. We aim to make positive contributions by focusing on four key priority areas: education and training, health and sport, the environment and vulnerable communities. Our Local Giving Program is just one of the ways we support our communities to provide grass-roots engagement and programs.

The Lynas Local Giving Program offers small grants of to local community not-for-profit groups. We open the Program twice a year and have supported over 45 local organisations since we began the Program in 2022.

View the program guidelines here – they are designed to assist Lynas employees, community groups, and organisations seeking funding from Lynas with information needed to complete the application form. We encourage applications from Lynas Employees to support local organisations to which they belong and contribute.

Access the application form here.

If you have any queries about the application process or your initiative/events eligibility, please do not hesitate to contact the Corporate Affairs Team: partnerships@lynasre.com