Phoenix Tailings plans to develop a $375m commercial-scale rare earth separation plant at Eastman Business Park in Rochester, New York, Mining Technology reported. Named Freedom Separation, the 500,000-square-foot facility is part of the company’s Freedom Project, a platform valued at more than $1.2bn intended to expand US midstream rare earth processing capacity.
The proposed plant would handle more than 18,000 tonnes of mined and recycled rare earth materials annually, with expected production exceeding 4,400 tonnes a year of separated rare earth oxides. Phoenix Tailings is targeting limited operations in 2027 and full production capacity in 2028. These figures represent planned throughput and output rather than existing production.
According to Mining Technology, Eastman Business Park was selected after a nationwide assessment. The company cited the location’s industrial infrastructure and access to workers with experience in engineering, advanced manufacturing, chemical processing and plant operations. The operation is expected to create more than 200 direct jobs in New York at full operation, including at least 90 at launch. Across its wider platform in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and a future location, Phoenix Tailings anticipates supporting more than 500 jobs.
New York State has awarded the company up to $3m in performance-linked tax credits through the Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit Program. The expansion also benefits from statutory, local and infrastructure incentives, alongside support from Greater Rochester Enterprise. Separately, Mining Technology reported that the Freedom Project secured a conditional commitment in June 2026 for a $500m long-term loan from the US Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital. Further reviews must be completed before that commitment can be finalised.
Phoenix Tailings intends to use its technology to treat industrial materials and mining waste for a domestic supply chain serving electric vehicles, electronics, defence equipment and advanced manufacturing. Co-founder and chief executive Nick Myers described the approach as an alternative for Western rare earth supply, claiming it would produce no waste or direct process emissions and offer safer operating conditions. Those performance claims are the company’s.