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Reuters
01-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Ukraine's metals production, development projects and resources
LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine and the U.S. on Wednesday signed a deal heavily promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump that will give the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals deals and fund investment in Ukraine's reconstruction. Here is Ukraine's current metal production, existing production capacity, metals development projects and reserves or resources of deposits. Sources of information: Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI), US Geological Survey (USGS), International Aluminium Institute, Ukraine's customs service, World Nuclear Association, CEIC, company data. EXPORTS In 2024, Ukraine exported goods worth $41.6 billion, of which metals/metals products accounted for $4.4 billion or 11% of the total, according to the customs service. In 2020, Ukraine's exports were worth $49.2 billion, including $7.7 billion of ferrous metals. ALUMINA As of 2021, the Mykolaiv (Nikolaev) Alumina Refinery was refining imported bauxite into 1.8 million metric tons of alumina a year and sending it to Rusal in Russia. The refinery suspended production after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Mykolaiv's alumina production was equal to 1.3% of the world's total 138.6 million tons in 2021, according to the International Aluminium Institute. In 2024, global alumina production was 147 million tons. COAL Ukraine has coal mines, but they are mainly in eastern Ukraine, in Russia-occupied regions. Ukraine's coal production fell to 23.3 million tons in 2023 from 64.9 million tons in 2013, according to the CEIC data. GALLIUM Ukraine produced 1 ton of gallium in 2021, according to the USGS. By comparison, China produced 750 tons in 2024. GRAPHITE Ukraine produced 1,200 tons of graphite in 2024 or 0.08% of the world's total, according to the USGS. Currently, Zavalievsky Plant is the only operating graphite asset in Ukraine. It restarted production in October after a temporary halt due to a lack of investment, according to BMI. The Balahovskoe Graphite Deposit has yet to be developed. Its operator BGV Graphite invested $10 million in a pre-feasibility study and preliminary economic assessment in 2024. The study was completed in early 2025. IRON ORE Ukraine increased iron ore exports by 90% year on year to 33.7 million tons last year as a corridor for exports by sea opened in August 2023. As of 2020, Ukraine was producing 3.2% of the world's iron ore by content and 1.5% of pig iron, according to the USGS. LITHIUM There are two early-stage lithium projects, which would exploit hard-rock deposits, in Ukraine. Shevchenkivskyi is the biggest and is located in Donetsk, one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow has claimed as its own territory. The second project is the Polokhivske and Dobra deposits located in central Ukraine. According to Ukraine's State Geological Service, Ukraine has lithium reserves of 500,000 metric tons, which would amount to 1.7% of the world's total. MANGANESE As of 2020, Ukraine was producing 3.1% of the world's manganese ore by content, according to the USGS. But production has declined since then. At least two manganese mining and processing plants in Ukraine have remained idle since November 2023 and another two resumed minimum production in the second quarter of 2024, it added. Production of silicomanganese fell by 45% to 104,150 tons and of ferromanganese by 66.5% to 3,600 tons in 2024, Interfax-Ukraine reported in February citing the Ukrainian Association of Ferroalloy Producers. RARE EARTHS ELEMENTS Ukraine does not currently have any commercially operating rare earth mines or any deposits under active development. China remains the dominant player in the rare earth market, holding a near-monopoly on global supply. According to Ukraine's Institute of Geology, the country possesses rare earths such as lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, erbium and yttrium. Detailed data about reserves is classified. Rare earths are abundant around the globe, but minable concentrations are less common than for most other mineral commodities, according to USGS. STEEL Ukraine's steel plants are located in the central, southern and Russia-occupied eastern regions of Ukraine. Ukraine produced 7.6 million tons of steel in 2024, 0.4% of the global output, down from 21.4 million tons in 2021, according to the World Steel Association. TITANIUM RAW MATERIALS Ukraine was the world's fifth-largest producer of titanium sponge with 2.2% share in global output and sixth-biggest producer of ilmenite with 5.8% share in 2020, according to the USGS data which excludes U.S. production. Since 2022, Ukraine has focused on production of a type of ilmenite concentrate which the chemical industry uses for pigment production. UMCC Titanium, which Ukraine re-privatized in late 2024, operates a mining and processing plant in the northwest. It restarted production in July. The company supplied 110,000 metric tons of ilmenite concentrate, partly from existing stocks, to the U.S. and Europe in January-September 2024, according to company data cited by Ukrainian media outlet URANIUM Ukraine has the world's 12th largest uranium resources of 107,200 tons, 2% of the global total, according to World Nuclear Association. Ukraine's production has been volatile in the past 10 years, according to the association, reaching 455 tons or 1% of the world's total in 2021.
Straits Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Ukraine's metals production, development projects and resources
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko sign a deal that will give the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals deals and fund investment in Ukraine's reconstruction, in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 30, 2025, in this picture obtained from social media. Yulia Svyrydenko via Facebook/via REUTERS FILE PHOTO: A dump truck drives past the Southern Iron Ore JV open-pit mine, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo LONDON - Ukraine and the U.S. on Wednesday signed a deal heavily promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump that will give the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals deals and fund investment in Ukraine's reconstruction. Here is Ukraine's current metal production, existing production capacity, metals development projects and reserves or resources of deposits. Sources of information: Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI), US Geological Survey (USGS), International Aluminium Institute, Ukraine's customs service, World Nuclear Association, CEIC, company data. EXPORTS In 2024, Ukraine exported goods worth $41.6 billion, of which metals/metals products accounted for $4.4 billion or 11% of the total, according to the customs service. In 2020, Ukraine's exports were worth $49.2 billion, including $7.7 billion of ferrous metals. ALUMINA As of 2021, the Mykolaiv (Nikolaev) Alumina Refinery was refining imported bauxite into 1.8 million metric tons of alumina a year and sending it to Rusal in Russia. The refinery suspended production after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Mykolaiv's alumina production was equal to 1.3% of the world's total 138.6 million tons in 2021, according to the International Aluminium Institute. In 2024, global alumina production was 147 million tons. COAL Ukraine has coal mines, but they are mainly in eastern Ukraine, in Russia-occupied regions. Ukraine's coal production fell to 23.3 million tons in 2023 from 64.9 million tons in 2013, according to the CEIC data. GALLIUM Ukraine produced 1 ton of gallium in 2021, according to the USGS. By comparison, China produced 750 tons in 2024. GRAPHITE Ukraine produced 1,200 tons of graphite in 2024 or 0.08% of the world's total, according to the USGS. Currently, Zavalievsky Plant is the only operating graphite asset in Ukraine. It restarted production in October after a temporary halt due to a lack of investment, according to BMI. The Balahovskoe Graphite Deposit has yet to be developed. Its operator BGV Graphite invested $10 million in a pre-feasibility study and preliminary economic assessment in 2024. The study was completed in early 2025. IRON ORE Ukraine increased iron ore exports by 90% year on year to 33.7 million tons last year as a corridor for exports by sea opened in August 2023. As of 2020, Ukraine was producing 3.2% of the world's iron ore by content and 1.5% of pig iron, according to the USGS. LITHIUM There are two early-stage lithium projects, which would exploit hard-rock deposits, in Ukraine. Shevchenkivskyi is the biggest and is located in Donetsk, one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow has claimed as its own territory. The second project is the Polokhivske and Dobra deposits located in central Ukraine. According to Ukraine's State Geological Service, Ukraine has lithium reserves of 500,000 metric tons, which would amount to 1.7% of the world's total. MANGANESE As of 2020, Ukraine was producing 3.1% of the world's manganese ore by content, according to the USGS. But production has declined since then. At least two manganese mining and processing plants in Ukraine have remained idle since November 2023 and another two resumed minimum production in the second quarter of 2024, it added. Production of silicomanganese fell by 45% to 104,150 tons and of ferromanganese by 66.5% to 3,600 tons in 2024, Interfax-Ukraine reported in February citing the Ukrainian Association of Ferroalloy Producers. RARE EARTHS ELEMENTS Ukraine does not currently have any commercially operating rare earth mines or any deposits under active development. China remains the dominant player in the rare earth market, holding a near-monopoly on global supply. According to Ukraine's Institute of Geology, the country possesses rare earths such as lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, erbium and yttrium. Detailed data about reserves is classified. Rare earths are abundant around the globe, but minable concentrations are less common than for most other mineral commodities, according to USGS. STEEL Ukraine's steel plants are located in the central, southern and Russia-occupied eastern regions of Ukraine. Ukraine produced 7.6 million tons of steel in 2024, 0.4% of the global output, down from 21.4 million tons in 2021, according to the World Steel Association. TITANIUM RAW MATERIALS Ukraine was the world's fifth-largest producer of titanium sponge with 2.2% share in global output and sixth-biggest producer of ilmenite with 5.8% share in 2020, according to the USGS data which excludes U.S. production. Since 2022, Ukraine has focused on production of a type of ilmenite concentrate which the chemical industry uses for pigment production. UMCC Titanium, which Ukraine re-privatized in late 2024, operates a mining and processing plant in the northwest. It restarted production in July. The company supplied 110,000 metric tons of ilmenite concentrate, partly from existing stocks, to the U.S. and Europe in January-September 2024, according to company data cited by Ukrainian media outlet URANIUM Ukraine has the world's 12th largest uranium resources of 107,200 tons, 2% of the global total, according to World Nuclear Association. Ukraine's production has been volatile in the past 10 years, according to the association, reaching 455 tons or 1% of the world's total in 2021. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Factbox-Ukraine's metals production, development projects and resources
LONDON (Reuters) - Ukraine and the U.S. on Wednesday signed a deal heavily promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump that will give the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals deals and fund investment in Ukraine's reconstruction. Here is Ukraine's current metal production, existing production capacity, metals development projects and reserves or resources of deposits. Sources of information: Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI), US Geological Survey (USGS), International Aluminium Institute, Ukraine's customs service, World Nuclear Association, CEIC, company data. EXPORTS In 2024, Ukraine exported goods worth $41.6 billion, of which metals/metals products accounted for $4.4 billion or 11% of the total, according to the customs service. In 2020, Ukraine's exports were worth $49.2 billion, including $7.7 billion of ferrous metals. ALUMINA As of 2021, the Mykolaiv (Nikolaev) Alumina Refinery was refining imported bauxite into 1.8 million metric tons of alumina a year and sending it to Rusal in Russia. The refinery suspended production after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Mykolaiv's alumina production was equal to 1.3% of the world's total 138.6 million tons in 2021, according to the International Aluminium Institute. In 2024, global alumina production was 147 million tons. COAL Ukraine has coal mines, but they are mainly in eastern Ukraine, in Russia-occupied regions. Ukraine's coal production fell to 23.3 million tons in 2023 from 64.9 million tons in 2013, according to the CEIC data. GALLIUM Ukraine produced 1 ton of gallium in 2021, according to the USGS. By comparison, China produced 750 tons in 2024. GRAPHITE Ukraine produced 1,200 tons of graphite in 2024 or 0.08% of the world's total, according to the USGS. Currently, Zavalievsky Plant is the only operating graphite asset in Ukraine. It restarted production in October after a temporary halt due to a lack of investment, according to BMI. The Balahovskoe Graphite Deposit has yet to be developed. Its operator BGV Graphite invested $10 million in a pre-feasibility study and preliminary economic assessment in 2024. The study was completed in early 2025. IRON ORE Ukraine increased iron ore exports by 90% year on year to 33.7 million tons last year as a corridor for exports by sea opened in August 2023. As of 2020, Ukraine was producing 3.2% of the world's iron ore by content and 1.5% of pig iron, according to the USGS. LITHIUM There are two early-stage lithium projects, which would exploit hard-rock deposits, in Ukraine. Shevchenkivskyi is the biggest and is located in Donetsk, one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow has claimed as its own territory. The second project is the Polokhivske and Dobra deposits located in central Ukraine. According to Ukraine's State Geological Service, Ukraine has lithium reserves of 500,000 metric tons, which would amount to 1.7% of the world's total. MANGANESE As of 2020, Ukraine was producing 3.1% of the world's manganese ore by content, according to the USGS. But production has declined since then. At least two manganese mining and processing plants in Ukraine have remained idle since November 2023 and another two resumed minimum production in the second quarter of 2024, it added. Production of silicomanganese fell by 45% to 104,150 tons and of ferromanganese by 66.5% to 3,600 tons in 2024, Interfax-Ukraine reported in February citing the Ukrainian Association of Ferroalloy Producers. RARE EARTHS ELEMENTS Ukraine does not currently have any commercially operating rare earth mines or any deposits under active development. China remains the dominant player in the rare earth market, holding a near-monopoly on global supply. According to Ukraine's Institute of Geology, the country possesses rare earths such as lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, erbium and yttrium. Detailed data about reserves is classified. Rare earths are abundant around the globe, but minable concentrations are less common than for most other mineral commodities, according to USGS. STEEL Ukraine's steel plants are located in the central, southern and Russia-occupied eastern regions of Ukraine. Ukraine produced 7.6 million tons of steel in 2024, 0.4% of the global output, down from 21.4 million tons in 2021, according to the World Steel Association. TITANIUM RAW MATERIALS Ukraine was the world's fifth-largest producer of titanium sponge with 2.2% share in global output and sixth-biggest producer of ilmenite with 5.8% share in 2020, according to the USGS data which excludes U.S. production. Since 2022, Ukraine has focused on production of a type of ilmenite concentrate which the chemical industry uses for pigment production. UMCC Titanium, which Ukraine re-privatized in late 2024, operates a mining and processing plant in the northwest. It restarted production in July. The company supplied 110,000 metric tons of ilmenite concentrate, partly from existing stocks, to the U.S. and Europe in January-September 2024, according to company data cited by Ukrainian media outlet URANIUM Ukraine has the world's 12th largest uranium resources of 107,200 tons, 2% of the global total, according to World Nuclear Association. Ukraine's production has been volatile in the past 10 years, according to the association, reaching 455 tons or 1% of the world's total in 2021.
Mint
25-04-2025
- Business
- Mint
As China nears peak aluminium production, what next?: Andy Home
Chinese production accounts for 60% of global output New smelters are being offset by closures of old capacity New smelters are powered by cleaner fuel LONDON, - China's aluminum production juggernaut is finally running out of road as the country's output approaches the government's capacity limit. Massive investment in primary metal smelting capacity has lifted Chinese production to 43 million in 2024, or 60% of globlal output, from just four million metric tons in 2004. Its growing dominance of the global aluminium supply chain has met increasing resistance from Western countries, initially in the form of trade complaints and anti-dumping duties and more recently in the form of U.S. tariffs. None of which has stemmed China's exports of semi-fabricated aluminium products, which jumped by 19% to hit a record 6.2 million tons last year. But things are about to change. PM Beijing's aluminium "Action Plan" for 2025-2027 confirms the capacity cap remains in place and sets out a strategy for what happens next. China's primary aluminium production grew by 2.6% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, according to the International Aluminium Institute. Annualised production averaged 44 million tons over January-March, just a million tons short of the 45-million ton cap, which was set in 2017. It is technically possible for the country's production to exceed the cap, according to consultancy AZ Global. Smelter capacity is rated by designed amperage for the electrolysis production process but "one of the first jobs of any plant manager is to push output to above the rate," it says. Nudging the amperage higher allows a smelter to produce over its nameplate capacity. But AZ China estimates that capacity utilisation in China is already very high at 98.2%, leaving little room for further collective amperage creep. It is also clear that China's production growth is starting to slow from the average 4.0% annual rate seen over the last five years. Chinese operators are still building new smelters, but the new capacity must be offset by closures of older capacity. Indeed, Beijing's policies for the sector are focused on eliminating less efficient capacity and ensuring newer smelters are powered by renewable energy resources. Aluminium producers are migrating from coal-rich provinces to new energy hubs, such as Yunnan with its abundant hydro power and Inner Mongolia, which has massive wind and solar potential. The aim is to produce more low-carbon metal and the action plan calls for renewable energy to account for 30% of national smelter power demand by 2027. To offset slow to no growth in primary production, Beijing is seeking to stimulate production from scrap with a recycling target of over 15 million tons per year in 2027. Another offset has already kicked in. The government removed tax rebate subsidies of 13% on exports of aluminium products in December in a move clearly intended to keep more metal in the domestic market. Exports have since slowed sharply with outbound volumes down by 11% year-on-year in January and February. Analysts at Macquarie Bank forecast exports to fall by 8% over 2025 with any sharper collapse unlikely since the world outside of China is heavily dependent on its products to the tune of around 15% of total demand. Some Western buyers will in all likelihood at least partly accept the higher cost. But the chances are that Chinese aluminium exports may have peaked. REPRIEVE FOR WESTERN PRODUCERS? The combination of slowing Chinese domestic production growth and reduced export flows opens a window of opportunity for the rest of the world's primary aluminium producers. The United States has nearly a million tons of idled smelting capacity. U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% import tariffs on aluminium are intended to stimulate restarts. Europe too has around half of its primary smelting capacity out of action after the power price surge that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The structural changes being implemented by the world's largest producer may offer such plants a reprieve, although restarting idled capacity is also a question of both aluminium and power prices. There is, however, renewed interest in building greenfield smelters in the West after years of low investment. U.S. producer Century Aluminum has received $500 million in government funds for a project to launch the first new smelter in the United States in 45 years. Rio Tinto is studying low-carbon smelter projects in both Finland and India. BUT CHINESE DOMINANCE WILL REMAIN However, Chinese producers are also going overseas due to the lack of domestic expansion potential. Indeed, Beijing's aluminium action plan calls for deeper cooperation with resource-rich nations such as Guinea, where China's Chinalco is part of a project to convert the country's bauxite resources into alumina. In Indonesia, Shandong Nanshan Aluminium is already producing alumina and plans to expand its refining capacity and to add a 260,000-ton-per year smelter. China may have stopped building domestic capacity but evidently has no intention of loosening its grip on a metal that the United States and the European Union both classify as a critical raw material. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. First Published: 25 Apr 2025, 11:31 AM IST
Zawya
25-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
As China nears peak aluminium production, what next?: Andy Home
LONDON - China's aluminum production juggernaut is finally running out of road as the country's output approaches the government's capacity limit. Massive investment in primary metal smelting capacity has lifted Chinese production to 43 million in 2024, or 60% of globlal output, from just four million metric tons in 2004. Its growing dominance of the global aluminium supply chain has met increasing resistance from Western countries, initially in the form of trade complaints and anti-dumping duties and more recently in the form of U.S. tariffs. None of which has stemmed China's exports of semi-fabricated aluminium products, which jumped by 19% to hit a record 6.2 million tons last year. But things are about to change. Beijing's aluminium "Action Plan" for 2025-2027 confirms the capacity cap remains in place and sets out a strategy for what happens next. TOUCHING THE CEILING China's primary aluminium production grew by 2.6% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, according to the International Aluminium Institute. Annualised production averaged 44 million tons over January-March, just a million tons short of the 45-million ton cap, which was set in 2017. It is technically possible for the country's production to exceed the cap, according to consultancy AZ Global. Smelter capacity is rated by designed amperage for the electrolysis production process but "one of the first jobs of any plant manager is to push output to above the rate," it says. Nudging the amperage higher allows a smelter to produce over its nameplate capacity. But AZ China estimates that capacity utilisation in China is already very high at 98.2%, leaving little room for further collective amperage creep. It is also clear that China's production growth is starting to slow from the average 4.0% annual rate seen over the last five years. GOING GREEN Chinese operators are still building new smelters, but the new capacity must be offset by closures of older capacity. Indeed, Beijing's policies for the sector are focused on eliminating less efficient capacity and ensuring newer smelters are powered by renewable energy resources. Aluminium producers are migrating from coal-rich provinces to new energy hubs, such as Yunnan with its abundant hydro power and Inner Mongolia, which has massive wind and solar potential. The aim is to produce more low-carbon metal and the action plan calls for renewable energy to account for 30% of national smelter power demand by 2027. To offset slow to no growth in primary production, Beijing is seeking to stimulate production from scrap with a recycling target of over 15 million tons per year in 2027. REDUCED EXPORTS Another offset has already kicked in. The government removed tax rebate subsidies of 13% on exports of aluminium products in December in a move clearly intended to keep more metal in the domestic market. Exports have since slowed sharply with outbound volumes down by 11% year-on-year in January and February. Analysts at Macquarie Bank forecast exports to fall by 8% over 2025 with any sharper collapse unlikely since the world outside of China is heavily dependent on its products to the tune of around 15% of total demand. Some Western buyers will in all likelihood at least partly accept the higher cost. But the chances are that Chinese aluminium exports may have peaked. REPRIEVE FOR WESTERN PRODUCERS? The combination of slowing Chinese domestic production growth and reduced export flows opens a window of opportunity for the rest of the world's primary aluminium producers. The United States has nearly a million tons of idled smelting capacity. U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% import tariffs on aluminium are intended to stimulate restarts. Europe too has around half of its primary smelting capacity out of action after the power price surge that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The structural changes being implemented by the world's largest producer may offer such plants a reprieve, although restarting idled capacity is also a question of both aluminium and power prices. There is, however, renewed interest in building greenfield smelters in the West after years of low investment. U.S. producer Century Aluminum has received $500 million in government funds for a project to launch the first new smelter in the United States in 45 years. Rio Tinto is studying low-carbon smelter projects in both Finland and India. BUT CHINESE DOMINANCE WILL REMAIN However, Chinese producers are also going overseas due to the lack of domestic expansion potential. Indeed, Beijing's aluminium action plan calls for deeper cooperation with resource-rich nations such as Guinea, where China's Chinalco is part of a project to convert the country's bauxite resources into alumina. In Indonesia, Shandong Nanshan Aluminium is already producing alumina and plans to expand its refining capacity and to add a 260,000-ton-per year smelter. China may have stopped building domestic capacity but evidently has no intention of loosening its grip on a metal that the United States and the European Union both classify as a critical raw material. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters. (Editing by Barbara Lewis)
