USA Rare Earth Inc stock rose 14.5% in premarket trading Thursday after the company announced it has selected Fluor Corp and WSP Global Inc as its Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) partners for its Round Top Rare Earth Project in Texas.

The company said the selection of these globally recognized leaders in mining and infrastructure will help accelerate the path toward commercial production of heavy rare earth oxides, currently targeted for late 2028. The partners will advance the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the project located in Sierra Blanca.

USA Rare Earth is implementing an Accelerated Mine Plan, with the first phase of its DFS utilizing results from ongoing solvent extraction pilot work at its Colorado facility. The company plans to operate its demonstration plant in Wheat Ridge, Colorado for at least 2,000 continuous hours, with operations expected to conclude in October 2026.

"Fluor and WSP are key partners with the experience and expertise required to move Round Top toward commercial delivery," said Alex Moyes, Vice President of Mining & Processing at USA Rare Earth. "Their teams know how to deliver complex mining and processing projects, and that matters as we work to bring a secure, domestic supply of heavy rare earth elements, inclusive of yttrium, into production, along with critical technology metals such as hafnium, zirconium, and gallium."

The company also plans to conduct confirmatory and geotechnical drilling at Round Top in the first half of 2026, along with a heap leach optimization study to support mine design and engineering.