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The future of critical raw materials: How Ukraine plays a strategic role in global supply chains (World Economic Forum – July 9, 2024)

https://www.weforum.org/

Geopolitical challenges, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China-US competition, elections and the war in Israel, significantly impact the global supply chain, especially critical raw materials vital for traditional industries, defence, high-tech sectors, aerospace and green energy.

Democracies rely on essential critical raw materials such as nickel, lithium and aluminium. The market for critical minerals has doubled to over $320 billion in the last five years and is expected to double again in the next five.

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NEWS RELEASE: Titanium leader Velta introduces Ukrainium™ – the strongest element on earth, reinvented (EIN Presswire – May 17, 2024)

Velta LLC unveiled a groundbreaking method for titanium production, marking a significant departure from the traditional Kroll method established in 1940.

Renowned for its exceptional tensile strength, lightweight nature, biocompatibility, and resistance to extreme temperatures, titanium is highly valued across various industries. Despite its advantages, the environmental toll and the lack of adaptability of traditional production methods have long been limitations. Ukraine boasts one of the world’s most abundant titanium reserves, critical to its economy but recently compromised by the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.

“The war has had an extremely negative impact on Ukraine’s titanium industry. However, we’ve already invested more than $7 million and continue attracting investments, which are now at the stage of negotiations. We saw an opportunity to rethink how titanium is produced. The result is so innovative, it deserves to be an element of its own.” — Andriy Brodskyy, founder and CEO, Velta LLC

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The critical challenge of titanium shortages in MRO supply chains – by Avia Solutions Group (Aero Time – November 9, 2023)

https://www.aerotime.aero/

The aerospace and aviation industries have been fighting unprecedented supply chain challenges in recent years, and one of the biggest problems has been the shortage of titanium. This shortage has sent a significant shockwave through the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) sector, creating a dire need for agile supply chain solutions to counteract the impact.

Toma Matutyte, CEO of Locatory.com, a leading aircraft parts locator in the aviation aftermarket, shares insights on the reasons behind the titanium shortage, the consequences it has brought, and the potential solutions that MROs must adopt to navigate this challenging landscape.

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Why Is There a Titanium Shortage? What It Means for Aerospace and Other Industries – by Sarah Edwards (Thomasnet.com – December 18, 2023)

https://www.thomasnet.com/

The global titanium shortage is a stark reminder of rare metal scarcity and its impact on manufacturing processes. The titanium supply chain is deeply rooted in Eastern Europe, with Russian titanium accounting for nearly one-third of the titanium bars and rods used in the United States.

While titanium demand has remained steady, supplies have dwindled, driving up prices and directly impacting the aerospace industry. Here’s what you need to know about these critical materials and how their supply shortage is affecting manufacturers.

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Putin says Russia should consider restricting exports of uranium, titanium and nickel (Reuters – September 11, 2024)

https://www.reuters.com/

MOSCOW, Sept 11 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow should consider limiting exports of uranium, titanium and nickel in retaliation for Western sanctions. Putin’s remarks to government ministers prompted a rise in nickel prices and drove shares in uranium mining firms higher.

In televised comments, he said such restrictions could also be introduced for other commodities, and noted that Russia was a major producer of natural gas, diamonds and gold.

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Ring of Fire Road Needs to Start Construction Now Due to Geopolitics and Global Warming – Stan Sudol (June 1, 2024)

Without a doubt, the Ring of Fire camp and its many strategic minerals that include nickel, copper, platinum group metals, chromite and titanium – just to mention a few as explorers have just scratched the proverbial surface – is the most important mining discovery in Canadian history. It may even exceed the legendary Sudbury Basin some day.

Discovered in 2007, the region is located approximately 450 kms. northeast of Thunder Bay in the isolated and vast peatlands of Hudson Bay which itself is roughly the size of Norway but with only about 10,000 people. Contrary to fanatical ENGOs, sustainable mineral development and exploration practices will have minimal impact on the environment and provide the critical minerals needed to stop global warming. Australian miner Wyloo owns the Eagle’s Nest nickel/copper mine and various chromite deposits. Canadian owned Juno Corp is the other main explorer in the district and controls roughly 52 percent of the mine claims.

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Boeing, Airbus Working With Saudi Arabia on Metals for Planes – by Fahad Abuljadayel and Matthew Martin (Bloomberg News – May 20, 2024)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Saudi Arabia said it’s working with top airplane makers Boeing and Airbus to get its aluminum and titanium approved for use in their planes as part of a push to get more manufacturing done inside the kingdom.

Achieving certification would potentially help the jet manufacturers overcome supply hurdles, including difficulties securing some raw materials. Saudi Arabia is also discussing making more aircraft components locally, according to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation.

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The Titanium Supply Chain For The Aerospace Industry Goes Through Russia – by Willy Shih (Forbes Magazine – March 6, 2022)

https://www.forbes.com/

The terrible war in Ukraine and subsequent sanctions placed on many Russian organizations have raised questions about potential supply chain vulnerabilities. While Russia is mostly an exporter of resources like oil, gas, and metals, one market where it is a dominant player is for titanium and titanium forgings. Many people are waking up to the potential consequences of a longer-term stoppage in the flow of these critical materials.

Titanium and titanium alloys have unique properties: they are lightweight and have a very high ratio of strength to weight. Their density is typically around 60% that of steel. They withstand high temperatures, and have a high resistance to corrosion.

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Militaries, Metals, and Mining – by Fabian Villalobos & Morgan Bazilian (New Security Beat – April 17, 2023)

https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/

In the early 1960s, Soviet fulfillment officers at the Berezniki and Zaporozh’ye ilmenite mines must have noticed an uptick in worldwide demand for titanium. Orders for titanium sponge were increasing around the globe, and the Soviet Union reacted by increasing production rapidly.

Yet some of these deliveries resulting from this boost in production were not reaching their intended customers. In fact, some of their customers didn’t even exist. Little did the Soviet producers know that it was actually the CIA on the receiving end of these shipments.

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Ukraine’s Titanium Can Armor the West – by Stephen Blank (CEPA.org – September 14, 2022)

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Support for Ukraine has been driven by strategic concerns and moral-political values. But long-term Western help should also be based on solid material interests.

Ukraine is blessed with many natural resources and an abundant agricultural sector, as Andrew Michta, Dean of the College of International Studies at the Marshall Center, has reminded us. Supporting it now, and throughout its postwar reconstruction, makes eminent good sense and could help drive the regeneration of Eastern European economies, while also cementing Ukraine’s integration into Europe. This is a vital US and allied interest.

Also consider Ukraine’s substantial titanium deposits, a good example of a key resource critical to the West. The metal is integral to many defense systems (aircraft parts, missiles, armor plating, and naval vessels) as well as surgical procedures. Its strength-to-weight ratio and resistance to corrosion allow the manufacture of lightweight and durable equipment which works even in extreme conditions.

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Bombardier also granted exemption from Canadian sanctions on Russian titanium – by Steven Chase and Robert Fife (Globe and Mail – April 26, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Inc. says it too has been granted an exemption from Canadian sanctions targeting Russian titanium that could interfere with its business in Canada.

Based in Montreal, Bombardier is the second aerospace company to be identified as having obtained a waiver from Canadian sanctions targeting Russian titanium maker VSMPO-AVISMA Corp., one of the world’s largest producers of the rare metal. Airbus was the first.

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Airbus granted reprieve from Canadian sanctions on Russian titanium, sources say – by Steven Chase and Robert Fife (Globe and Mail – April 25, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Ottawa has granted Airbus a waiver from sanctions targeting Russian titanium that could interfere with its business in Canada, two government sources say. Reports of the decision Wednesday prompted anger from Ukrainian Canadians and criticism from the Official Opposition.

The sanctions in question were only applied by Canada in February this year. Back then, Ottawa announced sanctions on Russia’s VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation, one of the world’s largest producers of titanium.

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WHAT IF AMERICA’S MINERAL-INTENSIVE MILITARY RUNS OUT OF MINERALS? – by Macdonald Amoah, Gregory Wischer, Juliet Akamboe and Morgan Bazilian (Modern War Institute West Point – November 10, 2023)

https://mwi.westpoint.edu/

Macdonald Amoah is a researcher at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. Gregory Wischer is principal at Dei Gratia Minerals, a critical minerals consultancy. Juliet Akamboe is a critical minerals demand researcher at the Colorado School of Mines. Morgan Bazilian is director of the Payne Institute and Professor of Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines.

Minerals have defined key periods in technological development for much of warfare’s history. The Stone Age featured mineral-tipped spears and arrows; the Bronze Age included swords and shields of bronze, a metal alloy of copper and tin; and in the Iron Age, iron replaced bronze in many weapons, making them both lighter and cheaper.

Since then, minerals have remained formative in changing human history—and warfighting. The cheap, mass production of iron was central to the First Industrial Revolution, while steel, an alloy of iron and carbon, was vital to the Second Industrial Revolution. Both periods contributed to the industrialization of war.

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Russian Mining Company Partners With China to Develop Massive Titanium Deposit in Arctic – by Malte Humpert (High North News – February 6, 2023)

https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/

Chinese investment and interest in Russia’s Arctic natural resources continues unabated. In addition to receiving regular shipments of LNG and crude oil, one of China’s major engineering and construction companies is partnering with Russian Titanium Resources to develop a massive mineral deposit in the Russian Arctic.

Russian Titanium Resources (Rustitan) and China Communications and Construction Company signed an agreement for the development of the Pizhemskoye mining project in the Komi Republic.

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Rio Tinto, Ottawa to invest $737-million in titanium and scandium project in Quebec – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – October 11, 2022)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Rio Tinto Group and the federal government are planning to invest a combined $737-million to modernize a large Quebec metals processing plant that could see the giant Anglo-Australian miner dramatically cut its emissions and become one of the first North American producers of the critical metal titanium.

Rio Tinto, one of the world’s biggest mining companies, said in a release Tuesday it will invest up to $515-million into the Sorel-Tracy, Que., facility over the next eight years. Ottawa is planning to kick in as much as $222-million for the project over the same time frame.

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