Welcome to REIA-your gateway to the global rare earth...

Welcome to REIA-your gateway to the global rare earth industry  

It can be challenging to obtain reliable data from China relating to specific rare earths, or to magnet production and production capacity. The data shown in our cover picture was verified with a couple Chinese REIA members, and while there is general agreement on them, they should be considered as indicative.
The story of the Chinese rare-earth industry is not only about cheap labour and raw-material availability; it also concerns economies of scale, the capacity and the speed with which China has built it up this whole industry. One reputable Chinese company informed us that their current magnet production capacity is 30 kt/year, and that the company’s management has already decided to increase that capacity to 100 kt/year by 2030, foreseeing the demand arising out of energy transition.
In the Western world, we saw big announcements in the past but continue with uncertainty, struggles and delays even in executing a 3 kt/year capacity operational plant. Those who have limited capacity are happy with their niche markets, while struggling to keep their existing markets. The competition itself may be something of a David vs. Goliath story.
Would you like to hear what is happening in Europe on the rare-earth front? Join us for the REIA-REEsilience Conference scheduled for 28 March in Brussels. You will hear insightful discussions led by experts from industry, academia, and government. The conference will cover key topics from mine to magnet and beyond, covering issues in magnetic alloys and composites; magnet recycling and sustainability and more.
As we announced previously, the REIA Annual Conference is scheduled to be held in Tokyo during 19-20 June 2024, co-hosted by the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) at its headquarters. We will open registration next week with early-bird rates. Please watch this space for more information.
In this week’s lead article, Wei-Qiang Chen and co-authors explore supply dependence between the United States and China by tracing rare-earth flows from mineral mining to market between 2000 and 2022. The results indicate complementary and cooperative US–China interactions, especially after 2018, when the United States became a net exporter of rare earths, and China’s largest supplier. They argue that intensifying interdependence stabilises rare-earth supply chains and highlights the importance of cooperative rare-earth trade networks. They suggest incorporating rare-earth trade agreements into climate cooperation between the two countries.
Other stories include updates from REIA members Arafura Rare Earths, Ionic Rare Earths, Aclara Resources, Solvay and Carester, REE market updates, e-mobility and geopolitical news.