Aclara Resources Inc. (TSX: ARA, OTC: ARAAF) announced on September 4, 2026, that the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) has issued a Letter of Interest indicating its willingness to consider providing up to US$750 million in financing to support the development of Project Dynamo, the company's planned rare earth separation, metals and alloys facility in Louisiana, United States. Based on preliminary information provided by Aclara regarding expected U.S. exports and jobs supported by the separation, metals and alloys facility, EXIM indicated that potential financing could cover up to US$750 million of project costs with a repayment tenor of up to 15 years under EXIM's Make More in America (MMIA) initiative. The Letter of Interest represents a significant milestone in Aclara's financing strategy, providing a pathway toward a long-term financing package to support the construction and execution of the U.S. separation, metals and alloys facility at the Port of Vinton in Louisiana.
Ramón Barúa, Chief Executive Officer of Aclara, stated that EXIM's interest in financing the Louisiana facility represents a key milestone and strong validation of the company's strategy to build an integrated mine-to-alloy rare earth supply chain. He noted that the company has systematically advanced each component of its strategy over recent years, building on mineral reserves in Brazil and mineral resources in Chile, developing proprietary processing technologies, and advancing engineering and permitting with support from committed shareholders. Barúa emphasized that potential support from EXIM would provide a pathway to bring these capabilities together at industrial scale with the objective of establishing a secure, traceable and sustainable supply chain capable of serving U.S. and allied industries across critical sectors.
He highlighted applications in electromobility, robotics and advanced technologies, as well as the rapidly growing AI economy, where the expansion of data centers is driving unprecedented demand for reliable power generation. Project Dynamo is designed to separate Aclara's Super Pure Rare Earth Carbonate (SPREC), produced from its South American ionic clay deposits, into individual rare earth oxides, including neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr), dysprosium (Dy), terbium (Tb), samarium (Sm), gadolinium (Gd) and yttrium (Y). The facility is also planned to incorporate metals and alloys processing capabilities to convert separated rare earth oxides into alloys required for high-performance permanent magnets and other advanced technologies.
Aclara is currently demonstrating its proprietary solvent extraction technology for separation at its Virginia Tech facility. In parallel, the company is advancing its rare earth metals and alloys capabilities through the operation of an industrial-scale molten salt electrolysis cell in Chile, providing a pathway to validate downstream conversion of separated rare earth oxides into metals and alloys. These technology demonstration programs are progressing alongside development of the commercial-scale facility in Louisiana, where basic engineering is being completed by Hatch and key permitting activities are in their final stages.
Together, these efforts are expected to position the Louisiana facility to be construction-ready by the end of 2026. The Louisiana facility is being designed to supply critical rare earths into markets experiencing significant structural growth and increasing requirements for secure and diversified supply chains. Its separated oxides, metals and alloys are expected to serve the high-performance permanent magnet industry, supporting applications across electromobility, robotics and other advanced technologies, while also supplying rare earth materials required for power generation applications.
EXIM's Make More in America initiative provides financing tools intended to support U.S. manufacturing, strengthen domestic supply chains and create U.S. jobs through projects with an export nexus. However, the Letter of Interest is non-binding and remains subject to EXIM's customary due diligence, application, underwriting, authorization, documentation and other requirements. The issuance of the Letter of Interest does not represent a final financing commitment by EXIM, and there can be no assurance that the contemplated financing will ultimately be approved or completed.
Aclara intends to continue working with EXIM as it advances the engineering, permitting and financing of Project Dynamo. Source: Investing News Network and Canada Newswire.
Source: investingnews.com