MEDIA RELEASE: EXIM TERM SHEET ADVANCES RZ RESOURCES ‘LEADING CRITICAL MINERAL PROJECT’
March 16, 2026
EXIM TERM SHEET ADVANCES RZ RESOURCES ‘LEADING CRITICAL MINERAL PROJECT’
RZ and EXIM have signed an Indicative Term Sheet for US$550m to support the project financing for the Copi Project, helping establish one of the world’s leading critical minerals and rare earths projects. The signing took place at the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum held in Tokyo over the weekend of 14 March 2026. This follows the upsized US$450 million Letter of Interest received by RZ Resources Limited (RZ) from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) in October 2025.
The Term Sheet will significantly advance RZ’s plan to produce critical minerals and rare earths domestically in Australia, supporting the production of approximately 413,000 tonnes of finished products each year in the first 10 years of production alone, including titanium feedstock, zircon, and other strategic minerals essential to advanced manufacturing and defence supply chains.
The financing will be used to support the development of the Copi Project and the Mineral Separation Plant, which together will create a globally significant critical minerals processing capability in Australia, backed by a mine with an expected 57-year life.
By processing Copi’s output locally, the Mineral Separation Plant in Brisbane, on Australia’s east coast, will provide resilient production of high-value finished materials, strengthening critical supply chains across Australia, Japan, and the United States.
RZ Resources Executive Chairman David Fraser said that the financing agreement reflected the depth and strength of the global support for a domestic critical minerals producer in Australia that strengthens supply chains.
“This support reflects the deep strategic partnerships that are driving the development of the Copi Project, including our Mineral Separation Plant. This term sheet demonstrates the strategic importance of these projects to global critical mineral and rare earth supply, and we are grateful for the support of the Australian Government, EXIM and our Japanese strategic partners, JX Advanced Metals and Marubeni Corporation.”
“Once developed, we expect to produce over 400 thousand tonnes of finished critical mineral and rare earth products each year, including titanium feedstocks, zircon, and other strategic minerals essential to advanced manufacturing and defence supply chains.
“We would like to acknowledge the support of Minister King and the Australian Government in progressing this globally significant project. Through producing 413,000 tonnes of finished products each year on average in the first 10 years of production, we will provide sovereign access to critical minerals and strengthen important supply chains in advanced manufacturing and defence,” concluded Mr Fraser.
The Term Sheet was witnessed by the Hon. Madeleine King MP, Minister for Resources, and John Jovanovic, Chairman of EXIM, while Sarah Whitten, Global Head of Origination at EXIM, and David Fraser, Executive Chairman of RZ Resources, signed the term sheet.
Contacts
Please direct all enquiries to:
Ryan Marnell
rmarnell@phronesis.consulting
+61 434 616 894