Ua hoʻolaha koke aku nei ʻo Polymetal e lilo paha nā waihona metala niobium a me ka honua laha ʻole o Tomtor ma ka Hikina Mamao i hoʻokahi o nā waihona honua laha ʻole nui ʻekolu o ka honua. He liʻiliʻi nā ʻāpana o ka hui ma ka papahana.
ʻO Tomtor ka papahana nui a Rusia e hoʻolālā nei e hoʻonui i ka hana ʻana o nā metala honua laha ʻole. Hoʻohana ʻia nā honua laha ʻole i ka ʻoihana pale kaua a me ka hana ʻana o nā kelepona paʻalima a me nā kaʻa uila.
"Ua hōʻoia ka unahi a me ke ʻano o Thomtor ʻo kēia lua kekahi o nā waihona niobium a me ka honua kakaikahi nui loa ma ka honua," wahi a Vitaly Nesis, ka Luna Nui o Polymetals, i loko o ka hoʻolaha.
He mea hana gula a me ke kālā nui ʻo Polymetal, nona ka 9.1% o ka ʻāpana ma ThreeArc Mining Ltd, nāna i hoʻomohala i ka papahana. ʻO ke kaikunāne o Vitali, ka mea kālepa Lūkini ʻo Alexander Nesis, nona ka hapa nui o ka ʻāpana ma ka papahana a me ka hui polymetal.
Ua hoʻomaka ʻo Three Arcs e hoʻomākaukau i ke aʻo ʻana i ka hiki ke hoʻopukapuka kālā no ka papahana, ʻoiai he paʻakikī ke kiʻi ʻana i kekahi mau palapala ʻae mai ke aupuni Lūkini, a ke kū nei ka hoʻolālā i nā pilikia ma muli o ka lohi o ka maʻi ahulau, wahi a Polymetal.
Ua hoʻopilikia ʻia e ke ahulau, ua hoʻopaneʻe ʻia ka papahana Tomtor no 6 a 9 mau mahina, wahi a ka hui eli kālā i Ianuali. Ua manaʻo mua ʻia e hoʻomaka ka papahana i ka makahiki 2025, me ka hoʻopuka makahiki o 160,000 tons o ka ore.
Hōʻike nā kuhi mua ʻo nā waihona o Tomtor e hoʻokō ana i nā koi o ke Komite Hoʻopaʻa ʻOle Hui o Australia (JORC) he 700,000 tons o ka niobium oxide a me 1.7 miliona tons o nā oxides honua laha ʻole.
ʻO Mount Weld (MT Weld) ma Australia a me Kvanefjeld (Kvanefjeld) ma Greenland nā waihona honua kakaikahi ʻelua nui loa.