Early construction work has launched on a long-awaited “critical minerals” mine in southeast Nebraska, with state and local officials starting the digging during a recent briefing at the project site.

U.S. Representative Adrian Smith, R-Neb., was among the Nebraskans updated last week on the planned Elk Creek mine venture by executives of NioCorp, the Colorado-based company behind the $1.1 billion project that intends to extract rare-earth elements such as niobium, scandium and titanium.

During the tour, Smith operated a 117-ton machine to start the first official dig to create the primary access point to the planned underground mine.

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The $45 million effort to construct the entrance, also known as a portal, marked the first visibly significant on-site movement at the mine, which has been talked about for years and still faces major fundraising hurdles.

Nebraska-based Gana Trucking and Excavating is performing the mine portal construction, NioCorp said in a statement on Wednesday. It said detailed engineering work was “well underway” and that the company has filed a formal “notice of commencement” with the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Smith, in a statement provided by NioCorp, said he appreciated the opportunity to visit the project site, which he said is projected to create more than 400 jobs and generate more than $600 million in state and local tax revenue.

“This project will provide long-term economic opportunity while cementing Nebraska’s role in securing a reliable domestic supply of critical minerals,” said Smith, a member of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.

NioCorp noted that Smith has introduced legislation to provide tax benefits to U.S. producers of rare earth elements and scandium, which the company plans to produce in Elk Creek.

The company thanked other area representatives who participated in the briefing and tour event Feb. 26, including Johnson and Pawnee county commissioners and economic development officials.

NioCorp described its Elk Creek initiative as one of the few advanced U.S.-based projects capable of producing multiple critical minerals from a single orebody. It said the portal construction advances the mine project from a planning phase into pre-construction.

“Establishing underground access is a foundational step that brings us that much closer to unlocking the value of this large, polymetallic orebody,” said Mark Smith, NioCorp chairman and CEO.

“We elected to advance this critical pre-construction work now to help streamline the development path toward full construction while we continue working toward securing the remaining financing needed for the Elk Creek project,” he said.