USA Rare Earth selects Fluor and WSP as EPCM partners to advance Round Top commercialisation

Fluor and WSP are globally recognised leaders in mining, processing, and large-scale infrastructure delivery, with experience executing complex, multi-year projects totalling tens of billions of dollars across North America and internationally.

Their selection, following a thorough evaluation of bids from multiple vendors, brings substantial technical, engineering, and execution capabilities to Round Top, supporting an accelerated and disciplined path toward commercial production.

To move the Round Top project forward more quickly while maintaining required technical standards, USAR is following an Accelerated Mine Plan. As part of this plan, the company intends to complete the first phase of its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) using results from its solvent extraction (SX) pilot work, which is already underway at the company’s facility in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

This first phase will cover the same scope typically addressed in a Pre-Feasibility Study. At the same time, the company plans to operate its demonstration plant in Wheat Ridge, Colorado for at least 2000 continuous hours, with operations currently expected to conclude in October 2026.

Data generated during this run will be used to complete the second phase of the DFS. In parallel, USA Rare Earth plans to carry out confirmatory and geotechnical drilling at Round Top in the first half of 2026, along with a heap leach optimisation study, to support mine design and engineering.

Together, these efforts are intended to support progress toward commercial production of heavy rare earth oxides, currently targeted for late 2028. “Fluor and WSP are key partners with the experience and expertise required to move Round Top toward commercial delivery,” said Alex Moyes, PhD, Vice President of Mining & Processing at USA Rare Earth.

“Their teams know how to deliver complex mining and processing projects, and that matters as we work to bring a secure, domestic supply of heavy rare earth elements, inclusive of yttrium, into production, along with critical technology metals such as hafnium, zirconium, and gallium. This is another step toward strengthening the US rare earth value chain at a time when reliability and resilience are increasingly important.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/finance-business/26012026/usa-rare-earth-selects-fluor-and-wsp-as-epcm-partners-to-advance-round-top-commercialisation/