The man whose idea Donald Trump wanted to buy Greenland for

So it is not surprising that the first factory that will process the eudialyte rock from the Tanbreez mine in Greenland and extract the rare earths will be built in the USA. Greenland itself would not have been an option: “The country is not able to operate a complex chemical plant,” says Barnes. There isn’t enough space for it, and there aren’t enough suitable staff, after all, the whole country only has 56,000 inhabitants. Waste products from the factory, which can be sold in Europe and America, also have to be deposited on the island – since shipping would be too expensive. “In the end, a factory in Greenland would probably be six times more expensive,” says the entrepreneur.