The Uzbek Industrial Metals Plant has made the first export delivery of rhenium metal with a purity of 99.9%.
The contract was concluded with the Estonian company VLCor Baltic OU, a supplier of raw materials for the foundry, aerospace and machine-building industries. This is the first time Uzbekistan has exported this strategic metal.
Rhenium is one of the rarest and most expensive elements of the periodic table. It is used in the production of heat-resistant superalloys, in particular for jet engine turbines, as well as in the petrochemical and electronics industries. The main consumers of rhenium in the world are the United States, Europe and China.
The global rhenium market is about 50-60 tons per year, with prices ranging from $2000 to $4000 per kilogram, depending on the purity level and form of delivery. The largest producers are Chile, the United States, Kazakhstan, and China.
The emergence of Uzbekistan among the suppliers may to some extent change the situation in the niche market, which is characterized by high dependence on a limited number of sources and unstable pricing.
According to UzCTM, the technology for producing rhenium by hydrogen reduction of ammonium perenate was mastered in 2021. In 2025, the company plans to produce 3 tons of rhenium metal.
UzKTM’s total exports in the first half of the year amounted to $21.3 million, up 118% year-on-year.
By the end of the year, the plant also plans to produce 842 tons of molybdenum, 96 tons of tungsten, 5 tons of selenium and 1 ton of tellurium. Exports are expected to account for more than $50 million of the planned $70 million in revenue.
Earlier, First Deputy Minister of Mining and Geology of Uzbekistan Omonullo Nasriddinhodzhayev said that in 2024-2028, UzKTM would implement more than 70 projects in the field of critical minerals. The total cost of the program is estimated at $1.6 billion.
Uzbekistan has deposits of more than 30 strategic metals, including lithium, molybdenum, tungsten, germanium, vanadium, graphite, and titanium. The country’s government expects that the development of deep processing in this area will help ensure sustainable export positions in the markets of rare and rare earth elements.
As a reminder, in April 2024, Uzbekistan and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of sustainable value chains in the field of critical raw materials. This is expected to help Uzbekistan develop its mining industry, and for the EU, guarantee access to minerals such as copper and molybdenum.
In September 2024, Uzbekistan also signed a memorandum on critical minerals with the United States.
You can learn more about the prospects for rare earth mining in Ukraine in the video: https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=uhebfpywpqc&t
