Hades licence win puts Germany on rare earth map

Startup Hades has secured an exploration licence for the Storkwitz rare earth project in eastern Germany, giving Europe’s largest economy access to one of its few domestic rare earth deposits as the region races to secure supplies of critical minerals.The Saxon Mining Authority granted the licence on July 31, allowing the Munich-based company to explore a 28.4-sq.-km area near Delitzsch in northern Saxony. Historical surveys suggest the property hosts about 38,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides and 8,000 tonnes of niobium pentoxide, although Hades has yet to define a resource under internationally recognized reporting standards.Rare earth elements are essential for permanent magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, defence systems and electronics. Europe remains heavily dependent on imports, particularly from China, making domestic projects increasingly important as governments seek to diversify supply chains.“Germany now has its own rare earth project — one of only a few in Europe,” chief executive Max Werner said in an emailed statement. “The licence is a milestone for Hades on a clear path from pre-seed and seed capital to a concrete, licensed resource.”The project adds to a small but growing pipeline of European critical minerals developments aimed at supporting the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act and reducing the bloc’s exposure to geopolitical supply risks.Lower-impact miningHades said it plans to evaluate the deposit using its proprietary Cerberus laser drilling technology, which it says can reduce drilling costs by more than 50% compared with conventional methods. The company also intends to assess in-situ recovery, a technique that extracts minerals using injected fluids rather than conventional open-pit mining, reducing surface disturbance if geological conditions prove suitable.The company, founded just last year, said it has already raised €20 million ($23 million) in two venture capital financing rounds. Hades aims to build a vertically integrated business spanning exploration, development and production of critical raw materials in Europe.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com