Needham Initiates MP Materials at Buy with $81 Price Target

Critical Metals Corp. shares rose 13% Monday morning after the company said it received formal mining approvals from the Government of Greenland for its Tanbreez Mine, valid through 2050. The Government of Greenland approved the Mining Plan and Closure Plan for the Tanbreez Project, one of the world's largest heavy rare earth deposits, located in Southern Greenland. The approvals, signed by Minister Múte B. Egede on September 29, 2026, establish a framework for approximately 24 years of permitted operations under the company's existing exploitation licence. They cover the extraction of 19 critical elements, including the heavy rare earths terbium, dysprosium and yttrium, as well as the magnet metals neodymium and praseodymium. The remaining step before construction can begin is obtaining activity-specific operating permits under sections 120 and 121 of the Greenland Mineral Activities Act, covering environmental management, marine transport, health and safety, and the export and sale of minerals. The approvals were granted to the company's Greenlandic subsidiary, Tanbreez Mining Greenland A/S, under Exclusive Licence No. 2020-54, which covers mineral exploitation at Killavaat Alannguat, between Narsaq and Qaqortoq in Southwest Greenland.

The US Treasury Department announced on the 2nd that it has approved new investment projects under its "reconstruction investment fund" with Ukraine. The main pillars are the restoration of heat and power supply infrastructure and the development of critical minerals, supporting Ukrainian companies as infrastructure damage spreads from Russia's invasion. According to the Treasury, the plan is to build power generation and heat supply facilities in multiple regions of Ukraine, aiming to supply thousands of households. It will also provide funding for battery storage projects in six locations across the country, seeking to stabilize power supply in preparation for blackouts caused by Russian military attacks. In addition, it will support the development of rare earths, uranium and other resources, strengthening supply chains for allied nations.

American Rare Earths has unveiled an updated Scoping Study for the Cowboy State Mine outlining a larger development concept for Halleck Creek, CEO Mark Wall said. The study evaluates a 4.5-million-tonne-per-year operation with a projected mine life of 26 years, generating an estimated after-tax net present value of approximately US$1.07 billion at an 8% real discount rate. Initial capital is estimated at approximately US$900 million, comprising roughly US$690 million in direct capital and US$210 million in contingency, with the updated study applying a 30% contingency allowance to direct capital versus 20% in the company's 2025 study. Modelled average annual production of neodymium-praseodymium oxide has increased from approximately 1,800 tonnes to 2,500 tonnes, and a separate closure cost provision of approximately US$56 million has been included at the end of the projected mine life. The development concept combines mining, comminution and mineral concentration at the Cowboy State Mine with a separate hydrometallurgical refinery planned for the Wheatland or Laramie area of Wyoming, as the company aims to establish a domestic supply of rare earth oxides and advance technical work to connect those materials with downstream U.S. production of rare earth metals and permanent magnets.

Mkango Magnetic Materials Limited announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Mkango Rare Earths Limited, filed an amendment to its registration statement on Form F-4 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on September 29, 2026, in connection with its proposed business combination with Crown PropTech Acquisitions, first announced on July 3, 2025. The Amended Form F-4 comprises a preliminary proxy statement of CPTK and a preliminary prospectus of MKAR covering the common shares and warrants to be issued in the deal. The filing has not yet been declared effective by the SEC and remains subject to completion or amendment. Subject to the SEC review process and customary closing conditions, including approval by CPTK shareholders, MKAR's common shares and warrants are expected to list on Nasdaq under the symbols MKAR and MKARW on closing. Mkango, which is listed on AIM and the TSX-V, is pursuing a strategy to become a market leader in recycled rare earth magnets, alloys and oxides, and its Songwe Hill and Pulawy rare earths projects have both been selected as Strategic Projects under the European Union Critical Raw Materials Act.