The Briefing Room Explainer: Rare earths
May 29, 2025
In this enlightening discussion, Ellie Saklatvala, Head of Nonferrous Metal Pricing at Argus, highlights the importance of rare earth minerals and their crucial role in modern technology. She breaks down common misconceptions about their rarity and explores the challenges of extraction and processing. The conversation also touches on global supply chains, particularly the reliance on Russian resources and China's dominance in the market. Finally, Ellie underscores the significance of these minerals in renewable energy, emphasizing their potential for a sustainable future.
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Diverse Roles of Rare Earths
- Rare earths are 17 elements, including the lanthanide series plus yttrium and scandium.
- They have diverse uses such as in strong magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics, military and ceramics.
Significance of Critical Minerals
- Critical minerals include roughly 50 minerals with rare earths as a subset of 17.
- Governments deem them critical for economic and national security, as losing access poses a major problem.
Geography of Rare Earths
- China dominates rare earths production, also importing ores from Myanmar, Laos, and the US.
- Other regions have deposits but are underutilized, including Australia, Scandinavia, Brazil, North America, and Central Africa.