Pensana Saltend is a future processing facility for

rare earth metals The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or (in context) rare-earth oxides or sometimes the lanthanides (yttrium and scandium are usually included as rare earths), are a set of 17 nearly-indistinguishable lustrous silve ...

Salt End Salt End or Saltend is a hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. It is situated on the north bank of the Humber Estuary just outside the Hull eastern boundary on the A1033 road. It forms part of the civ ...

, near Hull in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

, England. When operating at capability, the plant aims to produce 5% of world demand for

neodymium Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is the fourth member of the lanthanide series and is considered to be one of the rare-earth metals. It is a hard, slightly malleable, silvery metal that quickly tarnishes i ...

and

praseodymium oxide Praseodymium oxide may refer to: * Praseodymium(III) oxide (dipraseodymium trioxide), Pr2O3 * Praseodymium(IV) oxide (praseodymium dioxide), PrO2 * Praseodymium(III,IV) oxide, Pr6O11 {{Chemistry index ...

. Work on the site started in 2021, with full opening by 2023. The facility will be the first of its kind in Europe.

History

The facility will process rare earths from Angola in Africa, for downstream use in cars, phones, and wind turbines. In September 2021, Pensana confirmed a 25-year lease on the site at Saltend, with a view to providing between 100 and 125 permanent jobs at the plant by 2024. By the time of its operating capability, the plant is aiming to produce of

and

per year; about 5% of global demand by 2025. As most rare earth metals are processed in China, the facility would be the first of its kind in Europe. The site is located with the Humber Freeport, which launched in October 2021. The site will have the potential to expand and produce up to of rare earth metals per year, most of which will be destined for the wind power markets. The intent is that 100% of power for the facility will come from the

Dogger Bank Wind Farm Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a group of offshore wind farms under construction off the east coast of Yorkshire, England in the North Sea. It was developed by the Forewind consortium, while three phases were envisioned - first phase (Creyke Beck ...

via a direct link. The plant is seen as part of a growing concern regarding the supply of the minerals necessary for electric car batteries and wind turbines, as part of a de-carbonised economy. However, with China de-carbonising their industries, it is thought that rare earth metals will be subject to supply issues. Pensana was formed in 2006, and Besides their future mining operations in Angola, Pensana are also mining for rare earths in Gabon. Pensana claim that their mining and quarrying processes are 'greener' than other mining companies. In January 2022, a revised application was lodged with a different location some to the north-east and covering an area of . The application also sought to allow for the storage of

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid Acid strength is the tendency of an acid, symbol ...

sodium hydroxide Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaOH. It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations and hydroxide anions . Sodium hydroxide is a highly caustic base and alkali ...

and

oxalic acid Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and formula . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name comes from the fact that early inve ...

. In May 2022, East Riding councillors approved the application which will cover over .

References

{{Reflist Manufacturing plants in England Industrial buildings in England Buildings and structures in the East Riding of Yorkshire