Good write up in the *.Western gallium revival begins as...

Good write up in the *.
Western gallium revival begins as miners race to beat China at its own game.

After two years of chest-thumping from the West about competing with China in the supply of niche critical minerals, Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) has taken the most consequential step yet in restoring its competitiveness in gallium.

Gallium’s low melting point makes it a key ingredient in semi-conductor wafers, with the soft, silver blue metal used in semiconductors, transistors, LEDs, computer chips and defence applications.

The global market is projected to grow from US$2.45 billion in 2024 to US$5.38 billion in 2028 and US$21.53 billion in 2034, representing a compound annual growth rate of 24.3%, the sort of growth rate that would stagger any copper bull.

But some 98% of the supply chain is dominated by China, where gallium is extracted as a by-product of the Bayer Process in alumina refining, as well as from zinc processing.

That status as a by-product has served as a barrier to entry.

But Rio, which runs a global alumina and aluminium business, has taken the first step to plant the West’s flag back in the key market, shook by export controls issued by China in 2023 and 2024 that has seen prices rise from around US$200/kg to ~900/kg.

Rio has successfully produced gallium metal in R&D testing at lab scale with New York-based specialty metals supplier Indium Corporation. It’s plan is to establish a 3.5tpa demo plant at the Vaudreuil alumina refinery in Quebec which, if successful, could be upgraded to 40tpa, equivalent to between 5-10% of global demand.

While the $165 billion giant is taking a conventional route to gallium production, it has junior upstarts watching closely.

“Rio Tinto’s move into gallium confirms what we’ve long believed for critical metals; that non-Chinese supply has a real future,” RareX (ASX:REE) managing director James Durrant said.

His firm has identified some of the highest grade gallium intercepts in Australian exploration history after re-assaying drill core from the Cummins Range rare earths and phosphate project in WA’s Kimberley.

“Their approach follows a well-established aluminium-based pathway, but it’s the scale and signal that matter. For explorers like RareX, it reinforces the value of projects like Cummins Range, where gallium is part of a broader critical metals system with real development potential.”

Integration

Rio’s investment shows Western companies are positioning to compete with China at its own game, integrating operations so they can supply a suite of critical minerals.

“What’s most significant is the message it sends: that one of the world’s largest resource companies sees a future for non-Chinese sourced gallium and is positioning to meet that demand. That confidence reflects well on the broader gallium space,” Durrant told *.

“At Cummins Range, we’re exploring a different but complementary path, where gallium sits alongside other critical metals, opening up multi-element value and processing optionality.

“Grade remains king, but integration, whether with aluminium or within a broader critical minerals system, is how you unlock true project economics. Rio’s move helps validate that trajectory.”

Australia was, briefly, a gallium supplier, when France’s Rhône-Poulenc operated a $50m plant at Pinjarra from 1989-1990, intending to produce as much as 50tpa of gallium 4km down the road from Alcoa’s alumina refinery.

But a rare earths facility attached to the plant never materialised and the scale of supply for the market’s size at the time meant its very existence tanked prices, making the operation unsustainable.

There are small operators in Germany, while Greece’s Metlen is also looking to expand an alumina operation in the country to supply 50tpa from 2028, equivalent to current demand from the European Union.

Now, new players are hoping to open up deposits with novel techniques to access a market growing rapidly.