en.Wedoany.com Reported - Spanish engineering firm Técnicas Reunidas (TR) successfully produced the first batch of kilogram-scale rare earth oxides—neodymium-praseodymium oxide (Nd/Pr Oxide)—on June 8, 2026, at its pilot plant in the Madrid Technology Center, achieving commercial-grade purity and technical specifications. The company completed the separation using its proprietary RARETECH patented hydrometallurgical technology, a milestone achieved under the EU-funded PERMANET project.

Neodymium-praseodymium oxide is a key raw material for manufacturing high-performance permanent magnets, widely used in clean energy equipment such as electric vehicle drive motors and wind power generators. Técnicas Reunidas, headquartered in Madrid, Spain, is a multinational engineering and technical services company founded in 1948, with operations spanning oil and gas, refining, petrochemicals, and energy transition. It has completed over 2,600 engineering projects in 70 countries. Its RARETECH technology is a comprehensive solution for processing monazite-type ores, separating and purifying rare earth elements, enabling recovery of rare earths as carbonate concentrates and further separation into oxide products. This technology has previously been supplied or bid in multiple countries, including the United States, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, and Turkey.

This technological breakthrough was achieved under the PERMANET project, funded by the EU's Horizon Europe program and led by Técnicas Reunidas, aiming to establish Europe's first complete permanent magnet value chain, covering rare earth mining, processing, refining, and magnet manufacturing. Javier Limpo, Director of Técnicas Reunidas' proprietary technology development department, stated that this progress validates the commercial feasibility of the company's technical solution.

Following this successful technical validation, Técnicas Reunidas has signed two related engineering service contracts to apply its RARETECH technology to external rare earth mining projects: one in collaboration with Australia's Osmond Resources in the province of Jaén, Spain, and another with St George Mining for metallurgical testing at the Araxá rare earth mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil. According to Europa Press, Técnicas Reunidas stated that this achievement provides technical support for the EU's pursuit of strategic autonomy in critical raw material supply. Currently, China accounts for approximately 85% to 90% of global rare earth separation and refining capacity. Europe is promoting the development of local rare earth supply chains through policy frameworks such as the EU Critical Raw Materials Act to reduce dependence on a single external source. Técnicas Reunidas' separation results at the Madrid Technology Center offer an engineering reference for establishing independent rare earth processing capabilities in the region.

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