ITRI to build rare-earth plant aiming to supply half of Taiwan’s needs by 2030

ITRI intends to construct a rare-earth demonstration plant that could satisfy roughly half of Taiwan’s domestic demand by 2030, according to President Chang Pei-zen. The facility is designed to produce 500 metric tons of rare earths each year, with construction expected to finish by the end of 2028 and subsequent refinement work to reach the output goal. The institute plans to locate the plant in an industrial park to ease future transfer to a private company, and financing will need approval from the National Science and Technology Council while the Ministry of Economic Affairs is weighing government price guarantees for investors.

The move responds to heightened worries over Chinese export controls that threaten supply chains for components such as rare-earth magnets used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment. TSMC has reportedly been looking for alternatives to reduce exposure, though it declined comment. ITRI already runs a small experimental line producing about 5,000 kg annually, so the new plant would represent a hundredfold increase and require extensive technical development of separation processes.