Utah ยท state page
Rare earth mines, projects and companies in Utah
Utah has 1 tracked rare earth mine or project: Silicon Ridge. None is producing rare earths yet: 1 in exploration. It also has 1 tracked rare earth plant or mill: White Mesa Mill (operating).
White Mesa Mill, a uranium mill near Blanding, is one of two US sites with commercial rare earth separation, and Energy Fuels began building a heavy rare earth expansion there on Jul 29, 2026.
Verified through Oct 1, 2026
- Sites on the map
- 2Mines, projects, mills and plants
- Mines and projects
- 1
- Plants and mills
- 1
- Companies and pilots
- 2Tracked in the state
Which rare earth mines and plants are in Utah?
2 sites are tracked in Utah: 1 operating and 1 in exploration. The table gives the owner and the next step for each.
| Site | Layer | Status | Owner or operator | Next step or status note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Mesa MillSan Juan County (near Blanding), Utah | Separation and refining | Plant operating | Energy Fuels | Heavy rare earth expansion under construction since Jul 29, 2026; Tb and Dy circuits due end of 2027 |
| Silicon RidgeLake Mountains, Utah County (Utah state trust land) | Mines and projects | Exploration | Ionic Mineral Technologies | Further drilling and studies; no rare earth grade published for the maiden estimate |
Mines and projects link to their own profile. Plants link to the profile of the company that operates them. See the map page for how precise each pin is.
Verified Oct 1, 2026
What permits do rare earth projects in Utah need?
Each project has its own approvals. The summaries for Silicon Ridge and White Mesa Mill come from the permits section of each profile, where the sources are listed.
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Silicon Ridge Exploration
The company says Silicon Ridge is fully permitted. A permit from the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining covers exploration, and state officials told a reporter its terms are confidential. No opposition, lawsuit or environmental review of a mine plan appears in the sources checked.
Read the permits and community section on the Silicon Ridge profile
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White Mesa Mill Plant operating
Energy Fuels applied in Nov 2025 for a license amendment to expand rare earth processing with new buildings, roads and two new holding cells north of the mill. Utah asked for more information in Apr 2026, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and White Mesa residents raised health and groundwater concerns.
Read the permits and community section on the White Mesa Mill profile
Which rare earth companies are based or building in Utah?
Energy Fuels (White Mesa Mill) and Ionic Mineral Technologies (headquartered in Provo, with Silicon Ridge) are tracked in Utah.
| Company | Why it is in Utah | Role | Listing | Government support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Fuels | White Mesa Mill | Uranium miller turned rare earth separator | NYSE American: UUUU; TSX: EFR | Office of Strategic Capital $725M loan (conditional) |
| Ionic Mineral Technologies | Headquarters (Provo, Utah); Silicon Ridge | Explorer (private) | Private | None recorded |
A company with several sites appears on each state page where it has one. Companies without a link have no profile yet. Government support is the company-wide summary and is not allocated to a state.
What government support is going to rare earth companies in Utah?
No state or local incentive is tracked for Utah. One federal support item is tracked for companies with a site or headquarters here, each with a status.
| Company | Agency | Instrument | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Fuels | Office of Strategic Capital (Department of War) | 20-year loan commitmentJun 2026 | $725M | Conditional |
These amounts attach to companies, not to sites in this state: many of the companies have projects elsewhere. Do not add them up as spending in the state. The government support tracker has the terms and sources.
Which neighboring states have rare earth projects?
Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho border Utah and have tracked rare earth sites, companies or pilots.
- 2 Arizona 2 sites: La Paz and Mesa recycling facility
- 1 Colorado 1 site: Wheat Ridge demonstration facility
- 5 Wyoming 5 sites: Brook Mine, Halleck Creek, Bear Lodge, Upton demonstration plant and Rawhide pilot process
- 2 Idaho 2 sites: Lemhi Pass and Diamond Creek
All states: rare earth mines, projects and companies by US state.
Questions about rare earth in Utah
Does Utah have rare earth mines?
Utah has 1 tracked rare earth mine or project: Silicon Ridge (in exploration). None produces rare earths today, and the only active primary rare earth mine in the United States is Mountain Pass in California.
Which rare earth companies are based or building in Utah?
Energy Fuels (White Mesa Mill) and Ionic Mineral Technologies (headquartered in Provo, with Silicon Ridge) are tracked in Utah.
Are any rare earth plants operating in Utah?
White Mesa Mill is operating.
Sources and verification
Each profile lists its sources, a confidence grade and a verification date. Order of authority: official records (SEC filings, agency documents), company documents and technical reports, research papers, then independent press. Syndicated copies and reference works are labeled and are never the only source for a number. Company-reported figures are labeled as such, and non-binding deals are labeled "letter of intent" or "conditional".
- Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands: second amendment to the Silicon Ridge lease, board presentation (Jan 22, 2026) Official record
- Ionic Mineral Technologies: results of independent PEA for Silicon Ridge (release of Jul 15, 2026, company site) Company document
- KUNC and NPR: nuclear power push ramps up uranium mill and tribal health concerns (Aug 2026) Independent press
- KSJD: White Mesa Mill expansion and Utah regulators (May 2026) Independent press
- Energy Fuels 10-Q for Q2 2026 (SEC) Official record
- Energy Fuels 10-K for 2025 (SEC) Official record
- Ionic Mineral Technologies: major rare earth discovery at Silicon Ridge (release of Dec 11, 2025, company site) Company document
- OSTI review, Minerals Engineering 249 (Kashyap et al., 2026) Research paper
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 Official record
Tags show what kind of source each link is. How sources are ranked