Critical Metals’ $835M Tanbreez deal: project economics and schedule for mine planners
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Critical Metals plans an $835 million all‑stock acquisition of European Lithium, offering 0.035 CRML share per EUR share to cancel a 34% stake and secure 100% ownership of the Tanbreez rare earth project in southern Greenland. The deal consolidates a 4.7‑billion‑tonne heavy rare earth resource at Killavaat Alannguat, already subject to a preliminary economic assessment valuing the project at about $3 billion. Critical Metals has offtake agreements covering roughly 75% of planned output, $120 million in US EXIM Bank financing lined up, and targets first ore in late 2028 or early 2029.
Technical Brief
- Share exchange ratio fixed at 0.035 CRML share for each European Lithium share.
- Implied transaction value of $835 million derived from 22 April closing prices and FX rates.
- European Lithium’s 34% CRML stake, worth about $540 million on 22 April, will be cancelled.
- Cancellation of EUR’s holding increases CRML’s free float and removes a single dominant shareholder.
- Greenland government has already approved indirect transfer of the Tanbreez licence to Critical Metals.
- Critical Metals’ market capitalisation rose 5% on announcement, reaching approximately $1.5 billion.
- Transaction secures the remaining 7.5% Tanbreez interest, taking CRML from 92.5% to full ownership.
Our Take
Earlier coverage on 10 March noted Critical Metals committing $30 million to accelerate drilling and engineering at Tanbreez, so moving to 100% ownership now likely streamlines decision-making on that work programme and any redesign ahead of the 2028–29 production window.
The 23.6% pre-market share price jump reported on 17 April after Greenland approved the indirect Tanbreez licence transfer suggests regulatory risk in southern Greenland has eased for Critical Metals, which is important given the project’s large 4.7-billion-tonne rare earth resource and long permitting tail.
With US Export-Import Bank already lined up for $120 million of financing at Tanbreez and China named as a comparator in this piece, the deal positions Critical Metals within the small group of non-Chinese heavy rare earth developers in our database that are explicitly leveraging US-backed funding to advance supply outside Asia.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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