Eclipse Metals has renewed its exploration licence for its newly dubbed Kamittalik project in a significant step forward for its southwest Greenland operation. The licence is now extended to the end of 2027.
The company has redefined the licence boundary to exclude previous overlap with the Gronnedal military zone to ensure clear operational and regulatory separation, while maintaining access to its core rare earth element exploration area.
A flooded Ivigtut open-pit cryolite mine and local infrastructure. Eclipse Metals’ Ivigtut project in southwest Greenland lies within the company’s mineral exploration licence, which has been renewed to December 2027. Ivigtut was the world’s only known source of naturally occurring cryolite, once used in aluminium production.
The development strengthens Eclipse’s path towards securing a mining licence for its Ivigtut and Gronnedal projects, which host key critical minerals vital for the global energy transition and the development of many modern technologies.
Eclipse’s Gronnedal project hosts an estimated inferred mineral resource of 89 million tonnes at 6363 parts per million total rare earth oxides (TREO), which places the emergent deposit among other notable rare earth projects in Western-aligned regions.
The historic Ivigtut former cryolite mine area also shows promise for rubidium, gallium, high-purity silica quartz and other value-enhancing elements in Eclipse’s high-grade multi-element portfolio, which are yet to be fully evaluated, including samarium, yttrium and niobium.
‘Against the backdrop of rising geopolitical competition for rare earth elements, Eclipse’s Greenland projects are uniquely placed to contribute to secure and sustainable supply chains for critical minerals.’
Eclipse Metals executive chairman Carl Popal
The company is advancing its social and environmental impact assessments, having received positive feedback from the Danish Centre for Environment and Energy and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. It plans to complete the assessments in 2026.
Eclipse also plans to submit updated terms of reference later this year, followed by public consultation, with its eye on a mining licence application in 2027.
Greenland’s growing role as a stable, Western-aligned supplier of critical minerals, backed by its 2025–2029 Mineral Resources Strategy and partnerships such as the European Union’s sustainable value chains initiative, underscores the strategic importance of Eclipse’s projects.
