Honeywell To Provide Automation And Safety Controls For First Fully Integrated Rare Earths Refinery In Australia
Honeywell’s Integrated Controls and Safety Systems will be adopted by Iluka Resources’ Eneabba rare earths refinery, which will produce resources vital for an electrified economy
HOUSTON, April 28, 2025 – Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) today announced its Integrated Controls and Safety System (ICSS) will be designed and implemented in Iluka Resources’ (Iluka) Eneabba rare earths refinery in Western Australia to help improve production efficiency and create a safer environment for its workers. Through a strategic partnership between the Australian Government and Iluka, the refinery will produce rare earth oxides that are essential inputs to defense systems, electric and hybrid vehicles, robotics, sustainable energy technologies, and consumer, industrial and agricultural applications. Once completed, it will also be the first fully integrated rare earths refinery in Australia.
Honeywell's automation and safety controls implemented by Iluka will include Honeywell Experion® PKS, Universal Operation Controllers (UOC), and advanced remote-control systems. With the implementation of Honeywell’s Experion® distributed control system, Iluka will have plant-wide control of its facility with a fully integrated automation system, transforming how plant automation projects are executed. Additionally, Honeywell will provide safety systems that will help Iluka minimize incident risks while maximizing production uptime. The full solution will include enhanced cybersecurity features to protect operations both onsite and in the cloud.
“The Eneabba rare earths refinery is a significant project that underscores the importance of expanding the critical minerals sector in Australia and diversifying the rare earths supply chain,” said Craig Renner, Project Director at Iluka Resources. “As a partner in this endeavor, Honeywell brings decades of automation domain expertise to increase productivity at the refinery while keeping our most important assets, our workers, safe.”
Iluka’s refinery, which has a capital cost of $AUD1.7 to $1.8 billion, will produce up to 6,250 tonnes annually of separated neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium oxides — globally-significant volumes that are essential for electrification and the enhancement of Australia’s domestic supply chain. Honeywell’s automation and control systems will improve operational efficiency for the refinery through real-time data analytics that will enable quicker decision-making for operators.
“Our partnership with Iluka demonstrates how automation is a key driver of the global energy transition supply chain,” said Pramesh Maheshwari, President of Honeywell Process Solutions. “With Honeywell’s extensive expertise in automation, Iluka will be equipped with the necessary tools to enhance the safety and efficiency of its operations, which are vital for supporting a more sustainable future.”
Iluka’s Eneabba refinery is expected to be commissioned in 2027. For more information on Honeywell’s industrial automation solutions, including Experion® PKS, visit Honeywell.com.
About Honeywell:
Honeywell is an integrated operating company serving a broad range of industries and geographies around the world. Our business is aligned with three powerful megatrends – automation, the future of aviation and energy transition – underpinned by our Honeywell Accelerator operating system and Honeywell Forge IoT platform. As a trusted partner, we help organizations solve the world's toughest, most complex challenges, providing actionable solutions and innovations through our Aerospace Technologies, Industrial Automation, Building Automation and Energy and Sustainability Solutions business segments that help make the world smarter and safer as well as more secure and sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.
