LS Eco Energy to Begin Mass Production of Rare Earth Metals for Defense by Year-End

Virtually the First Non-Chinese Company

Expansion Planned for Robots, Offshore Wind, and EVs Next Year

Rare Earth "Highway" from Mines to Metals to Magnets Begins in Earnest

LS Eco Energy is virtually the first non-Chinese company to begin establishing a system for the mass production of rare earth metals for defense applications.

LS Eco Energy and Lynas held an agreement ceremony at the LS Cable Singapore branch, where they formalized plans for the supply of rare earth raw materials and the mass production of metals within this year, according to an announcement on the 31st.

At the rare earth supply chain establishment agreement ceremony held on the 30th at LS Cable Singapore branch, (from right) Bonkyu Koo, CEO of LS Cable; Sangho Lee, CEO of LS Eco Energy; Amanda Lacaze, CEO of Lynas; and Chris Jenny, Vice President of Sales and Market Development at Lynas, are posing for a commemorative photo. LS Eco Energy

Through this partnership, a global value chain—encompassing raw materials (Lynas), metallization (LS Eco Energy), and permanent magnets (LS Cable)—has entered the operational stage.

This collaboration accelerates the creation of a “global rare earth highway” spanning from mines to finished products. Both companies plan to strengthen their market influence by moving away from a supply structure centered on specific countries.

LS Eco Energy plans to install metallization facilities at its LSCV plant in Vietnam within this year and begin mass production. Starting in the second half of this year with metals for defense use—such as for aerospace and missiles—the company aims to rapidly expand into metals for robots and electric vehicles (EVs) by 2027.

The company stated, “While global demand for non-Chinese rare earths has surged recently, there is a shortage of supply,” adding that “inquiries from global companies seeking stable alternatives continue to increase.”

In the rare earth industry, “metallization” is a technically challenging core process, just as critical as securing raw materials. By establishing capabilities for both raw material procurement and metallization, LS Eco Energy has secured a unique competitive edge.

LS Eco Energy plans to produce approximately 2,500 tons of metals annually, including samarium for defense applications, and NdPr for robotics and offshore wind power. This output is sufficient to manufacture more than 10,000 tons of permanent magnets.

Sangho Lee, CEO of LS Eco Energy, stated, “Through our collaboration with Lynas, we will expand our dominance in the global market and contribute to strengthening resource security at the national level.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.