April 22 (Reuters) - Privately held MP Materials said on Wednesday it has been awarded funding by the U.S. Department of Defense for a rare earths processing facility at its Mountain Pass mine in California.
The company did not disclose the amount, though it will use the funds for planning and design work. MP will have to solicit the Pentagon again for construction-related funds.
Reuters has previously reported that MP and others were in contention for U.S. government funding. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Sandra Maler)