Refinery and Processing Projects for Critical Minerals

The EU's strategic project lists name 23 processing projects and 8 integrated projects added in 2026, and 3 refinery projects outside the EU. They include a cobalt refinery expansion in Finland, a lithium hydroxide converter at Guben in Germany, nickel and cobalt refining at Kokkola and a precursor cathode plant in Germany. The Commission says the 106 projects together could fully meet the EU's 2030 processing benchmarks for lithium and rare earths and 89% of the cobalt benchmark, which is for 40% of annual consumption to be processed in the EU. A listing is a designation for faster permitting, not a record of output.

Which processing projects are on the EU lists?

The table lists the processing and integrated projects, grouped by the first material named. The 2025 integrated projects that combine mining with processing appear on the mining projects page, and rare earth separation projects are discussed on the separation plants page.

Which refinery projects are outside the EU?

What do these projects mean for the 2030 benchmark?

The Critical Raw Materials Act aims for EU capacity to meet at least 10% of annual consumption of strategic raw materials in extraction, 40% in processing and 25% in recycling by 2030. In October 2026 the Commission said the 106 projects could fully meet the processing benchmarks for lithium and rare earth elements, 89% for cobalt, 57% for tungsten and 51% for magnesium. The Commission names a lack of buyers as the main risk, so offtake agreements, covered on the offtake page, decide whether these plants are built. What the United States refines today is on the chemical processing page.

Frequently asked questions

Which refineries are planned in Europe for critical minerals?

The EU strategic project lists include the Jervois cobalt refinery expansion in Finland, the Rock Tech lithium hydroxide converter at Guben in Germany, the CoNiKo cobalt and nickel refining project at Kokkola in Finland, Viridian Lithium in France and the EU APT tungsten plant in Spain. Each is described as ongoing, not operating.

How much of the EU's processing target do strategic projects cover?

The Commission said in October 2026 that the 106 strategic projects could fully meet the 2030 processing benchmarks for lithium and rare earth elements, and cover 89% for cobalt, 57% for tungsten and 51% for magnesium. The benchmark is for 40% of annual consumption to be processed in the EU.

Are there refinery projects outside the EU on the list?

Yes. The June 2025 list includes the CaledoNi nickel project in New Caledonia, a cobalt project in Zambia and the restart of the São Miguel Paulista nickel and cobalt refinery in Brazil.

Does the strategic project label mean a refinery is built?

No. The label gives faster permitting and help with finance and buyers. The Commission lists all projects as ongoing and says status does not automatically bring funding.

Sources

Read on October 13, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.

1. Commission Decision C(2025) 1904, annex (25 March 2025)
2. Commission Decision C(2026) 8051, annex (9 October 2026)
3. Commission Decision C(2025) 3491, annex (4 June 2025)
4. European Commission press release IP/26/2113 (9 October 2026)