Arafura advances and further crystallizes its complex mine and...

Arafura advances and further crystallizes its complex mine and processor buildout financing. ,

I find Arafura's progress very interesting.

We are talking about a billion plus bucks to build out this mine and processing facility. A RE wannabee with a complex funding web involving strategic support from AUS, CAD and Germany, not to mention Reinhart's major private investment.

I just read an article on this entity from 2011 and the gung-ho phrasing that was used then along with such high hopes demonstrated (placed alongside Lynas).

Now 14 years later!

Today we have how many ROW RE projects?

GITI I believe are tracing around 170 REprojects globally. How many do you think are going to emerge? Vital Metals tried it cut price and got clobbered.

Heard the idea of 'to those who have will be given to those who have not, will not'; or something like that. Does this idea apply to the ROW RE sector today? I am just asking. Look a the financing of the likes of Lynas, NEO, MP, Iluka and Arafura. Can we describe these as the juggernauts of the ROW RE sector? Next level you have the likes of REEMF and Ucore.

What makes these such prime movers? Oh, yes they are not just (prospective) miners but more importantly they are freaking processors! They are the ones to whom the magnet makers, etc go for processed materials. Most of the above named wannabees have their own mines or at least resources; so, it's resources, management experience (school of hard knocks), facilities, strategic and major private backing as well as offtakes to the downstream that differentiate them from the rest.

Do we think that the OEMs are looking to place their offtakes with RE mining wannabees who don't have a clue where their major funding is going to come from; can't nail down their costs and are guessing a their timetable (again Arafura 2011 - today 2024)?

Do we think that strategic money is going to flow to Joe Soap RE wannabee in Timbuktu which has no mining history; isn't thinking about mining till near 2030 or longer and has no offtake discussions that can be at least be publically categorized and numbered?

Do we think the likes of Reinhart (Forrest put his Hastings investment into NEO shares ) are going to invest privately in such well way behind RE wannabees? In fact, Reinhart with this Arafura news was reported saying that the RE sector competition is now really on (this decade).

Yes, JMHO as usual, but thinking your RE wannabee has years in which to arrive is dead thinking! OEMs aren't going to be hanging around waiting for possible miners to emerge. These multinationals want to know where their non-Chinese manufacturing base is going to be supplied. ROW RE processors will be producing in the next 3-4 years and they will have offtakes from present and new ROW magnet makers, etc. It's a race in what is really a small metals sector (yes, we still have all the RE projections out there, but again, they focus on supply needs, not how changes in the RE sector will arrive into the next decade negatively impacting traditionally mine and processing RE methods!

Finally, as to what is the speculative future linkage between Arafura and the POSCO/Star Group magnet-making facility to be built in the US who knows? However, the recognition that POSCO is aligned with the Hyundai Group and that both Hyundai and Kia have signed offtakes with Arafura makes for potential future possibilities between AUS and the US.