Privately owned Rare Earths Americas (REA) has formed in a bid to explore and develop high-grade rare earths assets in the US and Brazil, looking to consolidate supply chains for various domestic sectors.

The company, which raised AU$25 million in a private funding round, said it combines experienced operators and investors with “deep expertise across global mining, energy and critical materials.”

Included in the company’s portfolio is the Foothills discovery, located in Georgia, US.

The site contains grades of up to 41.3 percent total rare earth oxides, including heavy rare earths crucial for high-performance magnets. REA has highlighted its strong logistics, low-cost power and streamlined path to permitting.

In Brazil, the Alpha and Constellation projects hold more than 1 billion metric tons of high-grade ionic clay rare earths mineralization, including dysprosium and terbium, which are essential for permanent magnets.

The Homer project, also located in Brazil, targets multiple carbonatite clusters with the potential for niobium discoveries in a region known for leading niobium mines.

“The rare earths market is undergoing a generational shift as the West races to secure its rare earths future,” said CEO Donald Swartz in a Monday (August 18) press release.

REA’s timing aligns with broader US efforts to reduce reliance on China, which currently controls nearly 70 percent of global rare earths processing and accounts for most heavy rare earths production.

In April, Beijing restricted shipments of seven rare earths to the US and other countries, prompting concern among automakers and defense contractors dependent on these materials.

The US government recently proposed a pricing support mechanism for domestic rare earths ventures in order to increase production and mitigate China’s influence.

Discussions last month, led by former White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro and National Security Council official David Copley, included rare earths producers and major tech firms reliant on these critical minerals.

China’s dominance stems from billions of dollars invested in mining and processing since 2000, often with minimal environmental or safety oversight, allowing the country to produce rare earths at lower cost than western competitors.

The US response to the Asian nation’s rare earths stranglehold has included efforts to develop domestic mine supply and build out refinement, processing and production capacity. American companies have also sought to secure alternative sources in Africa and Latin America, but investment and technology barriers remain significant.

Mountain Pass in California, the country’s only large-scale rare earths mine, produces bastnaesite carbonate, but relies heavily on foreign processing. MP Materials (NYSE:MP), the mine’s operator, posted a net loss of US$65.4 million in 2024, highlighting the challenge of competing with China’s low-cost production model.

REA’s launch positions it as a potential strategic player in this evolving landscape.

According to the company, the Foothills project offers a “streamlined permitting pathway” in the US, while the Alpha and Constellation projects in Brazil provide access to large-scale, high-grade heavy rare earths.

“With grade and strategic geography on our side, we intend to advance our rare earths projects to support the long-term supply of critical materials essential to domestic innovation,” Swartz added.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Commodities giant Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) has submitted applications to place two of its flagship copper projects in Argentina under a new investment regime.

The Switzerland-based firm is seeking to include the El Pachón deposit in San Juan and the Agua Rica deposit in Catamarca under Argentina’s recently introduced Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI).

Together, the two projects represent a planned capital investment of about US$13.5 billion over the next decade — US$9.5 billion for El Pachón and US$4 billion for Agua Rica.

Both sites would benefit from a long-term economic framework with enhanced investor protections under the RIGI program, which the administration of President Javier Milei launched this year to attract foreign investment.

“President Milei and his administration must be credited for introducing the RIGI. This framework has changed the investment landscape in Argentina, providing a key catalyst to attract major foreign investment to the country,” Glencore CEO Gary Nagle said in the company’s announcement on Monday (August 18).

“The RIGI provides a key platform for the development of Argentina’s significant natural resource endowment,’ added Martín Pérez de Solay, CEO of Glencore Argentina.

‘I am confident that the mining sector can be a major contributor to the Argentinian economy with the El Pachón and Agua Rica projects supporting the country’s ambition to become one of the world’s leading copper producers.”

El Pachón is a large-scale copper and molybdenum deposit with estimated resources of about 6 billion metric tons (MT) of ore averaging 0.43 percent copper, 2.2 grams per MT silver and 130 grams per MT molybdenum.

For its part, Agua Rica hosts roughly 1.2 billion MT of ore with average grades of 0.47 percent copper, 0.2 grams per MT gold, 3.4 grams per MT silver and 0.03 percent molybdenum. Ore from Agua Rica would be processed at the existing Alumbrera facilities, located 35 kilometers away, through the MARA project framework.

The scale of Glencore’s expansion comes amid a broader strategic race among western producers to secure supplies of critical minerals needed for clean energy technologies, electric vehicles and defense applications. Copper in particular is considered vital to global electrification, and analysts warn that rising demand could soon outstrip supply.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

ESGold (CSE:ESAU,OTCQB:ESAUF) has signed a binding memorandum of understanding with Colombian firm Planta Magdalena to form a 50/50 joint venture on a fully permitted gold- and silver-bearing tailings project.

Under the agreement, ESGold will invest C$1.5 million for its stake and will retain a first right of refusal to acquire the remaining 50 percent interest from Planta Magdalena within 12 months.

The project is designed to replicate ESGold’s Montauban model in Québec, which focuses on generating cashflow by reprocessing legacy tailings, while providing environmental remediation.

Preliminary due diligence sampling of 27 tailings collected from the project, located in Colombia’s Bolívar department, returned encouraging results, including assays of 42.7 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold and 280 g/t silver.

Several samples exceeded 5 g/t gold and 190 g/t silver, highlighting the potential for high-grade recovery.

Bulk concentrate tests are underway, with final verification to be completed at Actlabs in Québec.

Bolívar is one of Colombia’s most prolific gold regions, with artisanal miners processing an estimated 300,000 metric tons of ore annually. ESGold, a self-described scalable clean mining and exploration innovation company, plans to apply modern, mercury-free recovery methods to improve yields while addressing environmental concerns.

“The region still processes hundreds of thousands of metric tons of ore annually, yet much of it is handled using rudimentary mercury amalgamation methods that leave behind a substantial amount of gold and silver in the tailings,” said Gordon Robb, CEO of ESGold. “This creates an immense opportunity for ESGold to apply modern, environmentally responsible recovery technology that can significantly improve yields while remediating legacy mine sites.”

Pending completion of technical and legal due diligence, ESGold aims to fast track the project toward production in 2026, establishing a second high-margin operation alongside Montauban.

Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Providence Gold Mines Inc. (“Providence” or the “Company”) announces that subject to Regulatory approval it has entered an option agreement to acquire the “La Dama de Oro Gold Property”. The property is a historical gold mine 100% owned by the Optionor, (” Mohave Gold Mining”), a private Company incorporated under the laws of the state of California.

Providence recently commissioned Ethos Geological Inc. of Bozeman MT to complete an NI 43 101 technical report, authored by Zachary Black, SME-RM acting as the Qualified Person under NI 43 101. The NI 43 101 technical report has been submitted for Exchange review and approval. A cautionary note: The property is at an early exploration stage and does not have sufficient data for a mineral resource.

The La Dama de Oro Property is situated in the Silver Mountain Mining District, within the structurally complex Eastern California Shear Zone and the intersection with the San Andreas Fault Zone. Bedrock geology includes Mesozoic quartz monzonite that intrudes the Jurassic Sidewinder Volcanics. The structural history of the region implies a sequence of compressional and extensional events that reactivated favorably oriented zones of weakness for the circulation of hydrothermal fluids. The main zone of mineralization is hosted by the La Dama de Oro Fault, a shallow northeast-dipping oblique-slip fault.

The mineralization at the property is classified as a structurally controlled, low-sulfidation epithermal gold-silver vein system. Gold and silver mineralization is associated with multi-phase quartz veining, brecciation, and pervasive hydrothermal alteration along the La Dama de Oro Fault. The largest known vein is 4.5 feet at its widest point and remains open to exploration, with the potential for additional undiscovered veins along the fault system. The property has an approved exploration permit that includes a bulk sample.

The Option entitles the Company the right to purchase 100% of the La Dama de Oro Gold Property under the following terms:

YEAR 1

Within 15 days of Regulatory approval the Company shall issue 2,000,000 common shares from treasury and incur $20,000 in expenditures within 12 months of the effective date.

YEAR 2

The Company shall issue an additional 2,000,000 common shares from treasury and incur $250,000 in expenditures before the second-year anniversary of the effective date

YEAR 3

The Company shall issue an additional 500,000 common shares from treasury and incur a further $250,000 in expenditures before the third-year anniversary date of the effective date

YEAR 4

The Company shall incur an additional $250,000 expenditures before the fourth-year anniversary of the effective date

Ronald A. Coombes, President & CEO of Providence commented; “The best place to explore for gold is where gold is, with the rich historical history of past gold production at the La Dama de Oro mine there remains very good discovery potential”.

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Zachary Black, SME-RM, a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101. Mr. Black is a consultant and is independent of Providence Gold Mines Inc.

For more information, please contact Ronald Coombes, President, and CEO of the Company.

Ronald A. Coombes, President & CE

Phone: 604 724 2369

roombes@providencegold.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Neither the OTCQB and or the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release relative to markets about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to the permitting process, future production of Providence Gold Mines, budget and timing estimates, the Company’s working capital and financing opportunities and statements regarding the exploration and mineralization potential of the Company’s properties, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward- looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Providence Gold Mines expectations include fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies and native groups in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; and uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Providence Gold Mines does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statement.

Source