British Media: Britain Joins The Global Rare Earth Battle

 It reported that rare earth elements are called "industrial gold" because they are vital to the defense and technology industries, but they are difficult to extract and process.

The report also stated that the UK’s comprehensive assessment report on foreign and national defense policies released last month identified reliance on rare earths as a so-called security hazard, and said that the UK needs to diversify the supply channels of important commodities and reach an agreement with relevant countries to “maintain important in times of crisis. Commodity trade opening" agreement.

　　 The report pointed out that the British Seabed Resources Corporation is a subsidiary of the U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin in the UK branch. This company has received funding from the British government to develop a deep-sea mining project in the Pacific.

       The report also pointed out that in the development project in the Pacific, scientists are seeking to collect mineral-rich nodules the size of tennis balls. These nodules can provide millions of tons of copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese and rare earth ore. Some countries, including Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Germany, and France, are also carrying out similar projects in the Pacific region.

　　 Dr. Dwayne Ryan Menezes of the Polar Research and Policy Initiative said in a report: "Major restrictions on the supply of rare earths may severely affect defense and aerospace companies in the United Kingdom and the United States."

　　 Chris Williams, managing director of the British Seabed Resources Corporation, said that he hopes that by 2030, this project in the Pacific can produce 3 million tons of nodule ore annually. The mineral will contain enough rare earth elements to meet at least the domestic demand of the United Kingdom.

　　 A spokesperson for the British Department of Commerce, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "We are committed to making the UK a world leader in battery technology. This includes exploring opportunities for refining and processing key rare earth elements in the country."