- Solvay rare earth operations centre on La Rochelle, France, home to the largest rare earth separation plant outside China since 1948.
- Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, and listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris (SOLB), Solvay reported €4.3bn in underlying net sales for 2025.
- A new NdPr and permanent magnet production line inaugurated at La Rochelle in April 2025 marked Solvay’s entry into commercial magnet-grade rare earth supply.
- Industrial-scale dysprosium and terbium separation is targeted for September 2026, expanding La Rochelle beyond light rare earths.
- Solvay’s current strategic focus is building a diversified feedstock network — including a non-binding letter of intent with Viridis Mining and Minerals for Brazilian supply by 2028.
Solvay (Euronext Brussels/Paris: SOLB) operates one of the only rare earth separation plants outside China capable of processing both light and heavy rare earth elements at industrial scale. The company’s La Rochelle facility in France has separated rare earths since 1948, and in April 2025 it inaugurated a new production line dedicated to neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide for permanent magnets — Solvay’s first commercial move into magnet-grade rare earth supply. For background on Solvay’s broader chemicals business, see the company’s own corporate overview.
Company Overview
Solvay S.A. is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, and traces its rare earth separation capability back to 1948 at La Rochelle, though the site historically focused on automotive catalyst applications rather than magnet materials. The company split from Syensqo in December 2023, retaining the Essential Chemicals and Specialty Chemicals businesses under the Solvay name. Philippe Kehren has served as CEO since the split, with Pierre Gurdjian as Chairman. For FY2025, Solvay reported underlying net sales of €4.3bn (€4,262m) and underlying EBITDA of €881m, across 43 production sites in 41 countries with approximately 8,400 employees.
Solvay’s rare earth business sits within its Special Chem division, led by An Nuyttens. Rare earth separation is one of five global technologies the company positions as core to its Essential Chemistry strategy, alongside its more established soda ash, peroxides, and specialty polymers operations. The rare earth unit is small relative to Solvay’s total revenue but strategically significant, positioning the company as one of the few Western firms with industrial-scale separation expertise.
Key Assets & Operations
La Rochelle is Solvay’s sole dedicated rare earth separation site and the largest such plant outside China. The 40-hectare facility employs more than 300 people and has processed rare earths continuously since 1948, originally for catalyst and phosphor applications. The April 2025 line inauguration added dedicated NdPr oxide production for permanent magnets, using existing site infrastructure and separation know-how rather than requiring a full greenfield build. Solvay has stated the new process targets a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 50% cut in water consumption by 2030, alongside use of 75% renewable energy at the site.
Current NdPr output is reported by trade press as “a few hundred tonnes” annually — Solvay has not published a precise confirmed tonnage, so this figure should be treated as an industry estimate rather than a company-disclosed number. Dysprosium and terbium (DyTb) industrial-scale separation is targeted for September 2026, which would extend La Rochelle’s capability from light rare earths into heavy rare earth oxides used in high-temperature magnet applications. Solvay has indicated that a larger La Rochelle capacity expansion, estimated at €50m-100m, remains unapproved pending further government and customer commitments.
Latest Projects & Developments
Solvay has built a feedstock and offtake network spanning both mining supply and recycled sources. On 1 June 2026, Solvay signed a non-binding letter of intent with Viridis Mining and Minerals, targeting feedstock supply from the Colossus project in Brazil by 2028. This is explicitly a letter of intent, not a signed supply agreement — both companies have stated a definitive sourcing agreement is still pending, with Viridis targeting a Final Investment Decision in the second half of 2026.
On the offtake side, Solvay holds a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Hastings Technology Metals, signed October 2022, covering an initial 2,500 tonnes per year of mixed rare earth carbonate from the Yangibana project in Western Australia. Solvay has a signed supply agreement with Cyclic Materials, dated 18 June 2024, for recycled mixed rare earth oxide sourced from Cyclic’s Hub100 facility in Ontario, Canada, with shipments beginning in late 2024. Solvay also partners with Carester on magnet recycling and manufacturing in Europe.
On the customer side, Solvay has confirmed long-term supply agreements with Noveon Magnetics and with Permag for NdPr and DyTb oxides destined for US magnet production, per Solvay’s 2025 Annual Integrated Report. CEO Kehren has separately indicated interest in building a US-based rare earth processing plant, citing stronger government incentives there than in Europe, though this remains an exploratory statement rather than a committed project.
Solvay in the Global REE Market
Solvay’s public target is to supply 30% of Europe’s magnet-grade light and heavy rare earth demand by 2030, aligned with the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act. This places Solvay alongside a small group of Western and allied processors — including Neo Performance Materials’ Silmet facility in Estonia — working to establish separation capacity outside China, which still accounts for the large majority of global processed rare earth supply. For a broader comparison of ex-China refining capacity, see REM’s ranking of rare earth refiners outside China.
Within Europe’s rare earth strategy, La Rochelle is positioned as a cornerstone processing site given its status as the only European facility capable of industrial-scale separation across the full rare earth suite. Solvay’s approach — diversifying feedstock across mined and recycled sources while building customer offtake relationships with magnet makers — reflects a broader industry shift toward securing both ends of the supply chain simultaneously rather than processing capacity alone. Independent verification of Solvay’s rare earth financial contribution is limited, as the company does not break out rare earth revenue separately from its wider Special Chem segment in public filings — see Solvay’s annual reports for full segment disclosure.
Company Snapshot
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1863 (rare earth separation at La Rochelle since 1948) |
| Headquarters | Brussels, Belgium |
| Listing | Euronext Brussels & Paris (SOLB), ISIN BE0003470755 |
| CEO | Philippe Kehren |
| Key elements produced | Neodymium, praseodymium (NdPr); dysprosium, terbium (DyTb) targeted 2026 |
| Flagship rare earth site | La Rochelle, France |
| FY2025 net sales (Group) | €4.3bn underlying net sales |
What does Solvay produce in the rare earth sector?
Solvay separates rare earth oxides for permanent magnet applications, primarily neodymium and praseodymium, with dysprosium and terbium separation in development. It also supplies rare earth materials for catalyst and other specialty chemical applications.
Where are Solvay’s main rare earth operations?
Solvay’s rare earth separation is concentrated at its La Rochelle facility in France, which has processed rare earths since 1948 and is the largest such plant outside China. Solvay’s corporate headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium.
How significant is Solvay’s rare earth production capacity?
Solvay is one of a small number of companies outside China with industrial-scale rare earth separation capability, and La Rochelle is positioned as Europe’s leading rare earth processing site. Refer to the article body for current output figures and expansion targets.
What is Solvay currently working on in rare earths?
Solvay is expanding La Rochelle’s processing scope from light to heavy rare earths, building a diversified feedstock network through partnerships with mining and recycling companies, and supplying offtake agreements to magnet manufacturers in the US and Europe.
Who owns Solvay and where is it listed?
Solvay is a publicly listed company on Euronext Brussels and Paris under ticker SOLB. It separated from Syensqo in December 2023 and operates as an independent listed entity.
