Phoenix Tailings to Build $375 Million Rare Earth Separation Facility in Rochester, New York

Phoenix Tailings announced on October 20, 2026 that it will build a $375 million commercial-scale rare earth separation facility at Eastman Business Park in Rochester, Monroe County, New York. The project is expected to create at least 90 jobs.

500,000-square-foot Freedom Separation plant

The 500,000-square-foot facility will process approximately 18,000 tons of rare earth materials annually, turning mined and recycled feedstocks into oxides for downstream metal production. Operations are expected to begin in 2027, with full production in 2028.

Nick Myers, Co-Founder and CEO of Phoenix Tailings said:

“America and its allies cannot build the next generation of advanced manufacturing on a rare earth supply chain they do not control. Phoenix Tailings is building an innovative, commercial-scale alternative designed to secure the Western supply chain for the rare earth metals that power modern industry.”

State and federal support

Empire State Development is offering up to $3 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credits. The U.S. Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital has made a conditional commitment of $500 million in long-term loans, and the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded the company a $66 million grant as part of a $147.8 million project to demonstrate domestic production of heavy rare earth metals from waste materials.