Aclara Resources (TSX: ARA, OTC: ARAAF) is a Toronto-listed, Chile-based rare earth developer building an integrated heavy rare earth supply chain across Chile, Brazil and the United States, targeting dysprosium and terbium output for the permanent magnet market. The company’s Penco Module project in Chile cleared its final environmental hurdle on 23 June 2026, when the Environmental Qualification Resolution was published in Chile’s Environmental Impact Assessment System.
Aclara Resources Company Overview
Aclara Resources traces its roots to BioLantánidos, a Chilean ionic clay project that Hochschild Mining took full ownership of in 2019 before rebranding it as Aclara and listing it on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2021. The company is led by CEO Ramón Barúa, an economics graduate with an MBA from Columbia Business School who previously held senior roles at Hochschild Mining and Cementos Pacasmayo.
Aclara’s shareholder base has shifted materially in 2026. Following a two-tranche, US$50 million private placement that closed in May 2026, New Hartsdale Capital became the largest shareholder at 36.52%, with Hochschild Mining holding 19.32% and CAP S.A. holding 12.92%, against roughly 246.6 million shares outstanding. Hochschild Mining, Aclara’s original parent, is no longer a majority shareholder.
Key Assets & Operations
Aclara’s model is built around two ionic clay deposits feeding a single US separation facility. In Chile, the Penco Module in the BiobÃo region is scoped to produce approximately 774 tonnes of rare earth oxides annually over a 14-year mine life, based on a 2021 preliminary economic assessment. The project’s Environmental Qualification Resolution was approved unanimously by the BiobÃo Environmental Assessment Commission on 8 June 2026, closing a permitting process that ran more than four years.
In Brazil, the Carina Project in Nova Roma, Goiás, completed an NI 43-101 feasibility study in April 2026, reporting an after-tax net present value of approximately US$1.1 billion at an 8% discount rate, a 22% internal rate of return and an 18-year life of mine. A 2025 pilot campaign at Aparecida de Goiânia produced around 150 kilograms of heavy rare earth carbonate at up to 97.7% purity, and early works are targeted for 2026 ahead of full construction in 2027.
Both deposits are designed to feed a planned US$277 million separation facility at the Port of Vinton, Louisiana, which will produce separated dysprosium and terbium oxides alongside NdPr. The State of Louisiana granted final Industrial Tax Exemption Program approval for the facility on 26 June 2026, and Aclara is targeting groundbreaking in the fourth quarter of 2026. A separation pilot plant at Virginia Tech continues to operate in parallel, generating process data ahead of commercial-scale commissioning.
Latest Projects & Developments
Aclara’s extraction method, which it calls Circular Mineral Harvesting, avoids blasting, crushing and milling and is designed to recirculate roughly 95% of process water and recycle 99% of its primary reagent. The company is developing an AI-driven digital twin of its separation chemistry with Argonne National Laboratory, using operational data from the Virginia Tech pilot plant.
Financing for 2026 construction activity has come primarily from existing shareholders. The US$50 million private placement that closed in tranches through March and May 2026 was fully subscribed by CAP, Hochschild Mining and New Hartsdale Capital, a related-party structure that required disinterested shareholder approval under TSX rules. Aclara has also faced community and environmental opposition in Chile, including accusations linking the company to the 2026 BiobÃo wildfires, which Aclara has denied.
Aclara Resources in the Global REE Market
Aclara is positioning itself among a small group of non-Chinese dysprosium and terbium developers aiming to supply the US magnet supply chain outside China. Global dysprosium oxide output is estimated at only 1,000 to 1,500 tonnes annually, and Aclara’s stated ambition is to supply more than 75% of US dysprosium and terbium demand once Penco, Carina and the Vinton facility are operating in tandem. The company’s position as both a miner and a separator, rather than a miner alone, distinguishes it from most Western junior REE developers, which typically depend on third-party processing.
Aclara Resources Company Snapshot
| Founded | 2021 (as Aclara; predecessor BioLantánidos founded 2016) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Santiago, Chile |
| Listing | Toronto Stock Exchange: ARA; OTC: ARAAF |
| CEO | Ramón Barúa |
| Key elements | Dysprosium, terbium, NdPr |
| Flagship projects | Penco Module (Chile), Carina Project (Brazil), Vinton separation facility (Louisiana, US) |
| Major shareholders | New Hartsdale Capital (36.52%), Hochschild Mining (19.32%), CAP S.A. (12.92%) |
Data sourced from company disclosures and USGS Rare Earths Statistics and Aclara Resources investor relations.
What does Aclara Resources produce?
Aclara Resources is developing heavy rare earth oxides, primarily dysprosium and terbium, alongside NdPr from its ionic clay deposits in Chile and Brazil. These are key inputs for high-performance permanent magnets used in EV motors and wind turbines.
Where are Aclara Resources’ main operations?
Aclara’s two flagship deposits are the Penco Module in Chile’s BiobÃo region and the Carina Project in Nova Roma, Goiás, Brazil. Both are designed to feed a planned separation facility at the Port of Vinton, Louisiana, in the United States.
How large is Aclara Resources’ rare earth resource base?
Aclara holds ionic clay deposits across Chile and Brazil designed to support a multi-decade mine life at both flagship projects. Specific reserve and production figures are set out in the company’s feasibility studies and technical reports, referenced in the article above.
What is Aclara Resources currently working on?
Aclara is advancing its Chilean and Brazilian mining projects toward construction while developing its Louisiana separation facility, which received final state tax exemption approval in mid-2026. The company is targeting groundbreaking on the Louisiana facility later in 2026.
Who owns Aclara Resources?
Aclara is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and is backed by three principal shareholders: New Hartsdale Capital, Hochschild Mining and CAP S.A. Hochschild Mining, Aclara’s original parent company, no longer holds a majority stake following recent share issuances.
