Antonina Levashenko, Head of International Best Practices Analysis Department at the Gaidar Institute commented for Prime that Russia and the US could develop a faster way to extract rare earth metals (REM) through joint projects in the Arctic.
“A joint project in Alaska and other Arctic projects can be considered for two reasons: the geographical accessibility of the Arctic zone for both countries, as well as ensuring that the US and Russia are independent of REM imports for the localization of future local high-tech production,” the expert noted.
Antonina Levashenko emphasized that both countries have promising REM deposits in the Arctic, and cooperation is possible in the field of joint research and technology exchange, including technologies for assessing deposits and extracting REM.
“For example, joint projects could contribute to the development of a new technological method for extracting rare earth metals, which would accelerate the process of rare earth metal ore development and, unlike current methods, would contribute to resource savings during extraction and reduce consumption, i.e., less water, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions during the extraction process,” the expert concluded.