Prices for polysilicon, the raw material for solar cells, have started to fall following an almost four-fold increase since the start of 2021, in a move that is set to ease cost pressures on the solar supply chain. Polysilicon prices rose to a decade high of 300 RMB ( $43) per kg in July from […]
> Since 2021 over $300 billion has been invested in battery cell capacity, Evan Hartley, an analyst at Benchmark, told attendees at Benchmark Week 2023. Much of this capacity will be located in China. Benchmark’s Gigafactory Assessment shows that 67% of the global 2030 pipeline capacity in 2030 is located in the country. In response to […]
> Aclara Resources’ Carina project in Goiás, Brazil, is positioning itself as a key future supplier of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) through an environmentally responsible approach to ionic clay extraction. Benchmark’s Rare Earths team recently visited the Carina site and nearby pilot processing plant to evaluate technical progress and supply potential. “The site visit provided […]
> China is implementing new export controls on medium and heavy rare earth-related materials, as part of Beijing’s broader retaliatory measures to President Trump’s ‘Liberation day’ tariffs announced last week, which includes reciprocal duties of 34% on all US imports to China. While the measures stop short of an outright export ban, they will require exporters […]
> CATL has announced a partnership with Masdar, the Emirati state-owned renewable energy company, to develop the world’s largest solar power and battery storage project. The project will be located in Abu Dhabi with investment totalling $6 billion for the development of 5.2 GW of solar capacity and 19 GWh of battery energy stationary storage (BESS). […]
> The rare earths supply chain is poised for greater geographical diversification as new mines and processing plants outside of China are brought into production throughout the second half of the decade, as part of on-going derisking efforts by Western governments. “The world is reliant on a single source for the majority of rare earths supply,” […]
> Prices for light and heavy rare earths increased over August 2024 as demand-bolstering Chinese policies for consumer goods took effect. PrNd rose 9% to RMB 392,500/tonne ($55,343) over August, according to Benchmark’s Rare Earths Price Assessment, building on July’s uptick of 1.5%, Heavy rare earths prices rose at a slower pace of 5.7% and 1.7% […]
> Western rare earths companies across the value chain are reevaluating corporate strategy amidst prolonged price declines. Over the last 12 months, ex-China companies have mulled options including mergers, sales, and capital restructuring as a two year-long slide in prices for light rare earth ores and oxides makes medium-term growth uncertain. Neodymium-Praseodymium (PrNd) oxide was at […]
> Africa is set to become a major new rare earths ore exporter to Chinese and Western processors, with eight pipeline projects due to go into production across the continent by 2029. Rare earth’s biggest end use are rare earth permanent magnets (REPMs) for wind turbines and EV motors, a supply chain that China dominates. Tanzania […]