Rare earth elements sit quietly inside electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, data centers, advanced defense systems — and much more.
asserted
elements → sit → motors
Yet one country dominates the mining, refining and magnet production, and global demand keeps climbing.
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demand → dominate → production
That imbalance has turned the search for new, Western-aligned sources into an urgent economic and security priority.
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imbalance → turn → priority
Greenland Mines Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRML) (profile) has made a significant move in that race, announcing that it has applied to more than double its footprint in West Greenland, which could turn one promising deposit into a full rare earth district.
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which → make → district
If approved, the move could position Greenland Mines squarely among other leaders, including MP Materials Corp. (NYSE: MP), USA Rare Earth Inc. (NASDAQ: USAR), Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) and Critical Metals Corp. (NASDAQ: CRML), that are working to advancing rare earth and critical-mineral resources aimed at strengthening Western supply chains for critical applications.
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that → approve → applications
The IEA finds that demand for the four magnet rare earths has doubled since 2015 and should grow by another third by 2030.
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demand → find → 2030
- Greenland Mines announced that it has submitted an application to the government of Greenland for a new license that would more than double the company’s footprint across a known rare earth and carbonatite district.
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that → announce → district
- Sarfartoq is a carbonatite-hosted rare earth project enriched in neodymium and praseodymium.
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Sarfartoq → host → neodymium
- Greenland Mines’ filing arrived just days after a major geopolitical development.
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filing → arrive → development
- The company’s strategy is focused on advancing high-quality Greenlandic mineral assets capable of supporting diversified and secure Western critical-minerals supply chains.
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strategy → focus → chains
Why the World Cannot Live Without Rare Earths
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World → live → Earths
The International Energy Agency (“IEA”) explains that these 17 elements are fairly plentiful in Earth’s crust.
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elements → explain → crust
However, they are seldom found in concentrations that are economically viable to mine.
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that → find → concentrations
Their value comes from performance.
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value → come → performance
High-performance neodymium-iron-boron magnets, built mainly from neodymium and praseodymium, underpin electric vehicles, wind turbines, industrial motors and AI data centers.
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magnets → build → vehicles
They also appear in aerospace, medical and defense systems.
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They → appear → systems
According to the same IEA report, permanent magnets account for around 95% of rare earth consumption by value.
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magnets → accord → value
Demand is rising fast.
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Demand → rise → ?
The IEA finds that demand for the four magnet rare earths has doubled since 2015 and should grow by another third by 2030.
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demand → find → 2030
Robotics, automation and digital technologies are expected to add momentum after that.
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Robotics → expect → that
Outside China, the agency projects demand for magnet rare earths will rise 50% by 2035, with electric vehicles contributing the most.
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vehicles → project → most
In 2024, China accounted for 60% of mined magnet rare earths, 91% of refined output and 94% of sintered magnet production.
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China → account → production
U.S. Geological Survey data show a similar picture at the mine level, putting China's 2025 output at 270,000 of the 390,000 tons mined worldwide, or roughly 69%.
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data → show → tons
That concentration became a real-world problem in April 2025, when China imposed export controls on seven heavy rare earth elements.
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China → become → elements
The IEA says some automakers in the United States and Europe cut utilization rates or temporarily halted production.
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automakers → say → production
China widened the controls in October 2025.
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China → widen → October
In November, it suspended that expansion for one year, while the April controls stayed in place.
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controls → suspend → place
If the full October controls were implemented, the IEA estimates that $6.5 trillion of annual downstream production outside China would be at risk.
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trillion → implement → risk
Existing and planned projects outside China would cover only about 50% of 2035 mining demand and 25% of refining demand.
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projects → exist → demand
They would cover well under 20% of magnet demand.
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They → cover → demand
Closing those gaps would take around $60 billion of investment over the next decade.
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Closing → close → decade
The IEA reports that the top supplier’s share of rare earth refining fell from more than 90% in 2023 to 85% in 2025.
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share → report → 2025
It could reach 70% by 2035, if planned projects come online on schedule.
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projects → reach → schedule
Recycling could trim primary demand by up to 35% by 2050, but it cannot replace new mines.
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it → trim → mines
One such effort is unfolding in West Greenland, where Greenland Mines has applied to increase its control position in the Sarfartoq Rare Earth Magnet District.
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Mines → unfold → District
The Filing That Doubles the Footprint
On Monday, Greenland Mines announced that it had submitted an application to the government of Greenland for a new license.
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it → double → license
The license would cover approximately 262 km2 immediately east of the company’s existing Sarfartoq license.
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license → cover → license
The filing followed significant reconnaissance work by the company.
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filing → follow → company
If granted, the move would increase Greenland Mines’ control at Sarfartoq from approximately 192 km2 to approximately 454 km2, more than doubling the company’s footprint across a known rare earth and carbonatite district.
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move → grant → district
According to the company, a granted license would create a more connected project footprint and preserve flexibility for future infrastructure.
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license → accord → infrastructure
…and 82 more, not listed.
The Aporia
