CANBERRA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government announced on Thursday that construction has begun on a major rare earths project in Australia's Northern Territory, backed by 1.2 billion Australian dollars (about 850 million U.S. dollars) in federal investment.
The Arafura Rare Earths Nolans Project, located about 135 km north of Alice Springs, is expected to supply 4 to 5 percent of global rare earths demand, according to a joint statement issued by three Australian ministers.
The Australian government said the project would help strengthen the country's economic and national security by supplying critical materials used in clean energy technologies and the defence industry. nditem