American Resources Corp (NASDAQ:AREC) said its minority holding ReElement Technologies Corporation has received a Minor Source air permit covering all planned production lines at its Marion, Indiana Supersite.
The permit clears one of the final non-commercial hurdles to commissioning the facility, which now shifts ReElement’s focus to equipment installation, commissioning and commercial production.
The four-line Marion Supersite uses ReElement's chromatography-based platform to refine high-purity rare earths and critical minerals, including germanium, gallium, neodymium, dysprosium, terbium, gadolinium, yttrium and samarium, from recycled materials, industrial byproducts and mineral feedstocks.
"Receiving the principal approvals necessary to operate the production lines represents a significant milestone in ReElement's commercialization," said Mark Jensen, ReElement’s CEO.
"The speed, diligence and professionalism demonstrated by the State of Indiana, the City of Marion, Grant County, federal authorities and the permitting authorities show what is possible when government and industry work together with urgency, transparency and a shared commitment to rebuilding critical-mineral supply chains in the United States."
Jensen said the milestone validates the company's permitting strategy and philosophy centers around the idea that critical mineral industry has fundamentally changed and needs a refining-first approach rather than an improved version of the legacy solvent-extraction model. ReElement's chromatography platform is designed to scale modularly by adding standardized production capacity that shares common infrastructure, controls, laboratories and finishing capabilities.
"America's critical-mineral challenge will not be solved by permitting and constructing only massive, centralized facilities that carry high intrinsic risk and take many years to bring online," Jensen said. "It will be solved through innovative technology, modular deployment and collaboration with jurisdictions that understand the urgency of the mission."
The company said the permitting process establishes a model for deploying its modular platform elsewhere in the United States and with international partners in Africa and Southeast Asia.
Once operational, the Marion Supersite is expected to serve as a critical-mineral refining hub for defense, energy, auto, semiconductor and manufacturing supply chains, and as the base for ReElement's domestic and international expansion.
Shares of American Resources gained nearly 4% on Wednesday morning.