RE:Dear Ausheds, Why?Costs, water, reagents, certain amount of this is being overcome by sheer scale & automation at Kal but C&L will still be higher cost than Malaysia.
US, like Oz, is another high cost location but Lynas again counting on a very high level of automation plus highly refined SX process & methodology, they are extremely confident (privately, they don't BS all over the media) they have refined SX to the most cost effective the high grade MtW feedstock.
The business model now is to do the grunt work in Oz and separation close to major mkts. AGM confirmed (again privately) they would still like to do primary SX at Kal so as to stream LaCe + NdPr + HRE carbonates more selectively downstream final SX & calcination.
Main thing delaying them is Govt stupidity, Tx HRE was meant to be commissioned this year, just as China lost its HRE source from Myanmar. Restored to some degree now but how long will the ROW hypocrites ignore "conflict HRE" in all their shiny new EV's???