Short-term factors combined to strengthen prices, including widespread flooding in China’s Sichuan province and low capacity utilisation among producers outside China. In the first two months of 2021, Chinese exports of rare earths rebounded by 28.8% year-on-year to 7,068 tonnes, although this was boosted by the low base of a demand slump in early 2020.
Beijing has threatened to cut off supplies of refined rare earth products to US aerospace firm Lockheed Martin for trading with Taiwan.
Norway may plan mining after finding polymetallic sulfides in its seabed containing high concentrations of lithium and certain rare earths.
China also imports rare earths, and problems with shipping raw materials from Myanmar will exacerbate its rare earth shortages.
US firm Energy Fuels is partnering with Neo Performance’s European operations to provide concentrates free of radioactive materials.
