RareX and Gega Elements Forge Path to Australia’s First Gallium Supply Chain

A New Chapter in Australian Critical Minerals

RareX Limited (ASX: REE) has announced a strategic collaboration with Australian materials science innovator Gega Elements, marking a significant step toward establishing Australia’s first integrated gallium supply chain. This partnership aims to leverage RareX’s rich gallium-bearing resources from its Cummins Range and Khaleesi Projects alongside Gega’s cutting-edge refining technology, developed through intensive industrial research and development.

Gallium, a metal essential for manufacturing semiconductors, advanced communications, and defence electronics, currently faces a supply chain heavily concentrated in China. This geographic concentration poses strategic risks for countries seeking secure and sovereign sources of critical minerals. RareX and Gega’s collaboration is designed to address this vulnerability by creating a cost-effective, environmentally responsible, and sovereign-controlled refining pathway within Australia.

Technical and Commercial Ambitions

The agreement outlines a three-year term during which Gega will apply its proprietary bench-scale refining platform to RareX’s samples. The goal is to validate the technical feasibility of extracting gallium efficiently and to develop bespoke refining flowsheets tailored to RareX’s unique resource characteristics. These results will feed into techno-economic models that will inform RareX’s broader project assessments and commercial strategies.

Should the technology demonstration prove successful, RareX and Gega plan to negotiate a binding commercial agreement. RareX will have the option to secure exclusive rights to any intellectual property developed through this collaboration, specifically for application at its Cummins Range and Khaleesi Projects. This exclusivity could position RareX as a key player in establishing a sovereign gallium supply chain, a rare commodity outside Chinese control.

Strategic Implications and Market Context

RareX’s Managing Director, James Durrant, emphasised the strategic importance of this partnership, highlighting gallium’s critical role in emerging technologies such as 5G and defence systems. The collaboration aligns with Australia’s broader industrial policy goals to build vertically integrated critical mineral supply chains that can meet growing global demand while enhancing national security.

RareX’s portfolio, which includes rare earths, niobium, scandium, and phosphates, is anchored by the Cummins Range Project, a large undeveloped rare earths resource with a post-tax net present value exceeding $330 million. The addition of a domestic gallium refining capability could unlock further value from this project and complement RareX’s ambitions to develop future-facing critical mineral supply chains.

Beyond the immediate technical and commercial objectives, this collaboration signals a growing trend in the Australian mining sector towards innovation-driven, sovereign-controlled processing solutions. It also opens potential avenues for government support and strategic partnerships with end-users in technology and defence sectors.