# Ucore engineering report resets Louisiana plan: 600 t/yr Machine A, three lines, ~9,600 t/yr target

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/ucore-engineering-report-resets-louisiana-plan-600-t-yr-machine-a-three-9cbf9306
Date: 28 May 2026
About: [Ucore Rare Metals](https://technooptimist.io/companies/ucore-rare-metals.md) · [Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex](https://technooptimist.io/materials/louisiana-smc.md)
Original source: https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/299208

An engineering report led by Orbital Engineering reshaped the Louisiana plant into one enlarged first machine of about 600 t/yr plus three RapidSX production lines of about 3,000 t/yr each, dropping a planned fourth line. Capex for Machine A, the first line and the oxide plant was put at US$135 million. Machine A's installation, testing and commissioning moved to the first half of 2027.

## Key facts

- Machine A grows from 64 to about 118 stages.
- Capex: Machine A US$60M, Line 1 US$44M, oxide production and packaging US$31M.
- Site target about 9,600 t/yr of rare-earth oxides.
- Machine A partly funded by the US$18.4M Department of War agreement.

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