Malaysia Approves DTEC Export of 700 Tons of Rare Earth Carbonate

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Recently, Malaysia's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability confirmed that the Department of Minerals and Geoscience has approved an application for the export of unprocessed rare earths for research and development purposes. On October 27, Milan Perlly, Chief Executive Officer of DTEC Mineral and Metal Technology, confirmed that the company has obtained a permit to export up to 700 tons of rare earth carbonate from Perak, Malaysia, to the United States, with an initial batch of approximately 30 tons scheduled for shipment in the near term for rare earth separation and refining technology testing.

This batch of rare earth materials will be handed over to U.S. companies and research institutions for technical trials, with a focus on studying the processes for separating and purifying rare earth elements from Malaysia's ion-adsorption clay deposits. The related tests will provide a technical basis for raw material composition analysis, separation process selection, and the development of subsequent processing facilities.

DTEC is registered in Malaysia, with U.S. citizens holding 51% equity in the company. The company plans to build rare earth processing facilities in Malaysia within the next three years and has received a letter of intent from the Export-Import Bank of the United States regarding potential financing support of up to USD 650 million. The relevant funds remain at the potential financing stage and cannot yet be counted as committed project investment.

Malaysia has imposed restrictions on the export of unprocessed rare earths since January 2024. In October 2026, the government further clarified conditional export arrangements for research, development, and processing purposes, requiring applicant companies to commit to developing processing and other value-added activities in Malaysia. Perak has previously had rare earth pilot projects with special permits, and this DTEC permit is an approval matter under the new export rules.

The Malaysian government estimates that the country has approximately 16.1 million tons of rare earth resources, but a considerable portion of these has not yet been confirmed as commercially viable for development. This export permit covers up to 700 tons of rare earth carbonate, and the actual export volume will still depend on subsequent shipments and permit execution.