Rio Tinto (LSE:RIO) has confirmed plans to move forward with a research and development initiative aimed at extracting primary gallium from its alumina refining operations in Quebec. The project will receive conditional, non-repayable funding of up to C$18.95 million (approximately $13.9 million) from the Government of Canada.
The financing, approved through Natural Resources Canada’s Global Partnerships Initiative, supplements an earlier C$7 million commitment from the Quebec provincial government. Together, the funding packages are intended to support development of domestic supply for a mineral considered critical to advanced technologies.
Rio Tinto will construct a pilot facility at its Complexe Jonquière in Saguenay to test the extraction process under industrial conditions, with commissioning expected in 2027. The company successfully produced its first batch of gallium in May 2025 through a partnership with Indium Corporation and is also planning a demonstration plant at the same location with an annual capacity of up to four tonnes.
Global primary gallium output currently exceeds 700 metric tonnes per year, all sourced from outside North America. Rio Tinto indicated that a future commercial-scale facility in Canada could produce as much as 40 metric tonnes annually — roughly 5% of global supply — enhancing regional supply chain security for this strategic material.
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