Originally published by The West Australian.
01.07.2026
The Gina Rinehart-backed Arafura Rare Earths has inked a sales deal with an India-based metals producer for its Nolans project, just over a month after deciding to proceed with it.
The project is 135km north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and was the first to be backed by the Federal Government’s critical minerals strategic reserve.
On Tuesday, Arafura said it had signed a binding term sheet for 500 tonnes a year of neodymium-praseodymium oxide — the key ingredient for rare-earth magnets used in electric vehicle motors — over a minimum five-year period.
Arafura did not name the offtake partner, describing it as a special purpose vehicle set up by a member of a privately owned Indian industrial group that produced metals, critical minerals and technology.
Arafura approved development of Nolans in May, backed by an offtake deal with the Albanese Government.