Monazite is cracked with caustic soda, then hundreds of solvent-extraction stages separate neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) from their near-identical neighbours into oxide.
Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC)Emerging entrant · LowListed
IREL (India) Ltd
State-owned miner and processor of beach-sand minerals and India's only large rare-earth separator; supplies NdPr oxide to the three lowest scheme bidders
Strengths
Holds the monazite: beach-sand plants in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, rare-earth extraction in Odisha and separation at Aluva (Kerala)
Policy anchor of the whole chain - the scheme's 500-tonne oxide allocation runs through it
Risks
Not investable: a fully government-owned company under the Department of Atomic Energy
Output is small - roughly 400-500 tonnes of neodymium a year (Reuters, Aug 2025)
Background
Central PSU under the Department of Atomic Energy
NdPr oxide capacity 400 tonnes a year plus about 500 tonnes of stock (REPM notification, Dec 2025)
Compiled from public reporting — not exchange-listed.
Where it fits
Separation plants turn mixed rare-earth chloride into individual high-purity oxides. NdPr oxide is the key input for magnets. In India this is essentially IREL's job: its Odisha plant extracts rare-earth chloride and its Aluva (Kerala) unit separates it.
Why it matters
This is the real chokepoint. China does more than 90% of the world's rare-earth refining (IEA). India has large monazite reserves but small separation output - IREL can make roughly 400-500 tonnes of neodymium a year (Reuters, Aug 2025), far short of what a 6,000-tonne magnet industry needs.
Where the value pool sits
Separation is chemistry-heavy, capital-intensive and has thin margins outside China. The value lies in control: whoever holds oxide decides who can make magnets, which is why the scheme ties IREL oxide to the three lowest bidders.
Key drivers
IREL capacity expansion (its NdPr oxide capacity is 400 tonnes a year, per the scheme notification)
BARC technology transfers (e.g. to GMDC, Jan 2026)
Rare Earth Corridors announced in Budget 2026-27
Potential bottlenecks
Monazite contains thorium, so processing is regulated under atomic-energy rules and largely reserved for IREL
Solvent-extraction know-how and reagents
Heavy rare earths (dysprosium, terbium) are scarce in Indian monazite
Investor metrics to watch
IREL NdPr oxide output and allocation to magnet makers
New separation capacity announced by GMDC/NMDC or private firms