5N Plus Inc. announced that it has reached a commercial agreement with Rio Tinto to refine the tellurium to be produced at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah. The tellurium will be refined at the Company's Montreal facility in Quebec, Canada, and primarily used for the manufacturing of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules by First Solar under an existing semiconductor supply agreement between First Solar and 5N Plus. 5N Plus has been a key supplier to First Solar, a leading global provider of comprehensive PV solar solutions based in the U.S., since 2007.

The tellurium will also be used to manufacture ultra-high purity semiconductor substrates at its facility in St. George, Utah, to serve clients in the security and medical imaging markets. Tellurium, in addition to many other elements refined and transformed by 5N Plus, is considered a critical mineral by the Canadian and U.S. governments due to its importance to the economy and national security.