Kicking the China behavior: South Korea hunts tungsten treasure

SANGDONG, South Korea, Could 9 (Reuters) – Blue tungsten winking from the partitions of deserted mine shafts, in a city that is seen higher days, might be a catalyst for South Korea’s bid to interrupt China’s dominance of important minerals and stake its declare to the uncooked supplies of the long run.

The mine in Sangdong, 180 km southeast of Seoul, is being introduced again from the lifeless to extract the uncommon metallic that is discovered recent worth within the digital age in applied sciences starting from telephones and chips to electrical autos and missiles.

“Why reopen it now after 30 years? As a result of it means sovereignty over pure assets,” mentioned Lee Dong-seob, vp of mine proprietor Almonty Korea Tungsten Corp.

“Sources have grow to be weapons and strategic property.”

Sangdong is considered one of at the least 30 important mineral mines or processing crops globally which were launched or reopened outdoors China over the past 4 years, in line with a Reuters assessment of tasks introduced by governments and corporations. These embody tasks growing lithium in Australia, uncommon earths in the USA and tungsten in Britain.

The size of the plans illustrates the stress felt by international locations the world over to safe provides of important minerals considered important for the inexperienced power transition, from lithium in EV batteries to magnesium in laptops and neodymium present in wind generators.

General demand for such uncommon minerals is anticipated to extend four-fold by 2040, the Worldwide Power Company mentioned final 12 months. For these utilized in electrical autos and battery storage, demand is projected to develop 30-fold, it added.

Many international locations view their minerals drive as a matter of nationwide safety as a result of China controls the mining, processing or refining of many of those assets.

The Asian powerhouse is the biggest provider of important minerals to the USA and Europe, in line with a examine by the China Geological Survey in 2019. Of the 35 minerals the USA has labeled as important, China is the biggest provider of 13, together with uncommon earth components important for clean-energy applied sciences, the examine discovered. China is the biggest supply of 21 key minerals for the European Union, comparable to antimony utilized in batteries, it mentioned.

“Within the important uncooked materials restaurant, China is sitting consuming its dessert, and the remainder of the world is within the taxi studying the menu,” mentioned Julian Kettle, senior vp for metals and mining at consultancy Wooden MacKenzie.

The stakes are significantly excessive for South Korea, dwelling of main chipmakers like Samsung Electronics. The nation is the world’s largest client of tungsten per capita and depends on China for 95% of its imports of the metallic, which is prized for its unrivalled energy and its resistance to warmth.

China controls over 80% of world tungsten provides, in line with CRU Group, London-based commodity analysts.

The mine at Sangdong, a as soon as bustling city of 30,000 residents that is now dwelling to only 1,000, holds one of many world’s largest tungsten deposits and will produce 10% of world provide when it opens subsequent 12 months, in line with its proprietor.

Lewis Black, CEO of Almonty Korea’s Canadian-based guardian Almonty Industries, informed Reuters that it deliberate to supply about half of the operation’s processed output to the home market in South Korea as a substitute for Chinese language provide.

“It is simple to purchase from China and China is the biggest buying and selling associate of South Korea however they know they’re over-dependent,” Black mentioned. “You need to have a plan B proper now.”

Sangdong’s tungsten, found in 1916 throughout the Japanese colonial period, was as soon as a spine of the South Korean financial system, accounting for 70% of the nation’s export earnings within the Nineteen Sixties when it was largely utilized in metal-cutting instruments.

The mine was closed in 1994 attributable to cheaper provide of the mineral from China, which made it commercially unviable, however now Almonty is betting that demand, and costs will proceed to rise pushed by the digital and inexperienced revolutions in addition to a rising want by international locations to diversify their provide sources.

European costs of 88.5% minimal paratungstate – the important thing uncooked materials ingredient in tungsten merchandise – are buying and selling round $346 per tonne, up greater than 25% from a 12 months in the past and near their highest ranges in 5 years, in line with pricing company Asian Steel.

The Sangdong mine is being modernised, with huge tunnels being dug underground, whereas work has additionally began on a tungsten crushing and grinding plant.

“We should always hold operating this type of mine in order that new applied sciences may be handed over to the following generations,” mentioned Kang Dong-hoon, a supervisor in Sangdong, the place a “Pleasure of Korea” signal is displayed on a wall of the mine workplace.

“We’ve been misplaced within the mining business for 30 years. If we lose this opportunity, then there might be no extra.”

Almonty Industries has signed a 15-year deal to promote tungsten to Pennsylvania-based World Tungsten & Powders, a provider to the U.S. navy, which variously makes use of the metallic in artillery shell ideas, rockets and satellite tv for pc antennae.

But there aren’t any ensures of long-term success for the mining group, which is investing about $100 million within the Sangdong venture. Such ventures should still wrestle to compete with China and there are issues amongst some business consultants that developed international locations is not going to observe by on commitments to diversify provide chains for important minerals.

Seoul arrange an Financial Safety Key Objects Taskforce after a provide disaster final November when Beijing tightened exports of urea resolution, which many South Korean diesel autos are required by legislation to make use of to chop emissions. Almost 97% of South Korea’s urea got here from China on the time and shortages prompted panic-buying at filling stations throughout the nation.

The Korean Mine Rehabilitation and Sources Company (KOMIR), a authorities company accountable for nationwide useful resource safety, informed Reuters it had dedicated to subsidise about 37% of Sangdong’s tunnelling prices and would think about additional assist to mitigate any potential environmental injury.

Incoming President Yoon Seok-yeol pledged in January to cut back mineral dependence on “a sure nation”, and final month introduced a brand new useful resource technique that may permit the federal government to share stockpiling info with the personal sector.

South Korea is just not alone.

The USA, European Union and Japan have all launched or up to date nationwide important mineral provide methods over the past two years, laying out broad plans to spend money on extra diversified provide strains to cut back their reliance on China.

Mineral provide chains have additionally grow to be a characteristic of diplomatic missions.

Final 12 months, Canada and the European Union launched a strategic partnership on uncooked supplies to cut back dependence on China, whereas South Korea not too long ago signed collaboration offers with Australia and Indonesia on mineral provide chains.

“Provide-chain diplomacy might be prioritised by many governments within the coming years as accessing important uncooked supplies for the inexperienced and digital transition has grow to be a prime precedence,” mentioned Henning Gloystein, director of power and local weather assets on the Eurasia Group consultancy.

In November, China’s prime financial planner mentioned it might step up exploration of strategic mineral assets together with uncommon earths, tungsten and copper.

Funding globally of $200 billion in extra mining and smelter capability is required to fulfill important mineral provide demand by 2030, 10 occasions what’s being dedicated presently, Kettle mentioned.

But tasks have confronted resistance from communities who do not need a mine or smelter close to their properties.

In January, for instance, stress from environmentalists prompted Serbia to revoke Rio Tinto’s lithium exploration licence whereas U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration cancelled two leases for Antofagasta’s copper and nickel mines in Minnesota. learn extra

In Sangdong, some residents are uncertain that the mine will enhance their lives.

“Many people on this city didn’t consider the mine would actually come again,” mentioned Kim Kwang-gil, 75, who for many years lived off the tungsten he panned from a stream flowing down from the mine when it operated.

“The mine would not want as many individuals as earlier than, as a result of all the things is completed by machines.”

Reporting by Ju-min Park and Joe Brock; Extra reporting by Beijing Newsroom and Gavin Maguire; Enhancing by Kevin Krolicki and Pravin Char

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Rules.