Source : THE AGE NEWS
Osmond Resources has inked a collaboration agreement with Spanish engineering powerhouse Técnicas Reunidas to target the European Union’s first fully vertically integrated production of mixed rare earth carbonates (MREC) and mixed rare earth oxides (MREO).
The deal commits both parties, where practical, to extract monazite and produce final rare earth products in the EU, while jointly pursuing Spanish and EU funding.
Osmond will own the planned processing facility, with Técnicas Reunidas providing its proprietary RARETECH processing technology, along with full engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services.
Técnicas Reunidas isn’t just any partner – it’s a Madrid-listed giant with nearly 14,000 employees, 65 years of experience across 2600 projects in 70 countries and 2024 revenues of €4.45 billion (A$7.3 billion).
A leader in clean fuels, natural gas, chemicals, and energy transition tech (including circular economy and decarbonisation), the industry heavyweight heads the European Commission’s Horizon-funded PERMANET project to build the EU’s first complete permanent magnet value chain, vital for electric vehicles, wind turbines and electronics.
RARETECH is Técnicas Reunidas’ proven hydrometallurgical technology for processing monazite-type ores into high-value rare earth products.
The process recovers rare earths into carbonate concentrates from primary sources, with oxide separation at advanced stages, and is designed to handle both primary and secondary feeds for the broader economy. RARETECH is already commercially supplied and tendered globally, including in Spain, South Africa and Australia.
Osmond says RARETECH dovetails neatly with its monazite strategy, delivering a scalable, onshore pathway for EU rare earths processing while sharply cutting Europe’s dependence on imported material. The company is lining itself up as a meaningful global producer of rare earth-bearing monazite to feed the continent’s growing critical minerals appetite.
The collaboration fits squarely with the Orión EU critical minerals project, which spans 228 square kilometres in Spain’s Jaén Province and hosts multiple high-grade horizons of rutile, zircon and monazite. Recent drilling has confirmed strong potential, with downstream studies on rare earths, titanium and silicon progressing steadily amid EU support.
This partnership could also fast-track Osmond’s timeline. Drilling, resource estimates, scoping studies and flowsheet confirmation should be completed by the end of June, while the company continues to unlock major funding and strategic leverage as part of the EU’s critical minerals race.
It’s a high-impact move, linking the nimble explorer to a heavyweight with real processing know-how and EC-backed credentials. Osmond’s play in Europe’s rare earths endgame appears to have just levelled up.
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