Firmer PV demand could lift tellurium prices further

Market: Metals
15/05/20

China's tellurium prices are expected to rise further in the short term on the back of rising demand from the downstream solar sector, according to market participants.

The range for 99.99pc grade metal was last assessed at 370-390 yuan/kg ($52-55/kg) ex-works on 12 May, up by 15pc from Yn320-340/kg on 18 February, in response to higher demand driven by a rise in investment in production projects in the cadmium-telluride (Cd-Te) thin film solar sector.

Growing demand from the Cd-Te photovoltaic (PV) industry is expected to support tellurium prices in the longer term, although consumption from the bismuth-telluride refrigeration sector has been affected by the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Domestic Cd-Te thin film solar module manufacturer Advanced Solar Power (ASP) has started building the second phase of its PV project in Jincheng city in north China's Shanxi province, after launching the first phase in September 2019. The project will have a capacity of 80MW after the second phase comes on line in December 2020.

ASP, in partnership with Yangtai Jingxin Coal Industry and Jincheng Chaoneng PV Technology, have also invested Yn550mn to form a subsidiary Shanxi Yangtai ASP Technology that operates a Cd-Te thin film solar module manufacturing plant in north China. The plant's average photoelectric conversion efficiency has exceeded 13pc, with 2m² of Cd-Te thin film solar module able to generate 260-270 kWh/yr of electricity on average.

Fellow Chinese Cd-Te PV module producer Zhongshan Ruike New Energy also in March begun building five new Cd-Te battery production lines with a total capacity of 1GW/yr in Zhongshan city in south China's Guangdong province, after commissioning the first 100 MW/yr production line in June 2018. The firm is a joint venture between Chinese new energy company Mingyang Smart Energy Group and Clean Energy International founded by Stanford Alumni.

State-owned China National Building Material Group (CNBM) has invested, via its subsidiary Triumph Group, Yn4bn to develop a 600 MW/yr Cd-Te PV project in Bengbu city, in south China's Anhui province and Yn4bn in a 600 MW/yr project in Qingdao city in east China's Shandong province. Another CNBM subsidiary International Engineering Corporation will provide technology to the two projects with a photoelectric conversion efficiency of more than 15pc.

Although the bismuth-telluride refrigeration sector has been weakened by the Covid-19 outbreak, the growth of Cd-Te PV industry is expected to support tellurium prices in the long term.

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13/05/25

ISTA blasts 'ludicrous' Tata Steel UK assertion to TRA

London, 13 May (Argus) — Tata Steel UK's claim to the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) that 2m-wide hot-rolled coil (HRC) could be bought for slitting is "ludicrous", according to the International Steel Trade Association (ISTA). In a submission to the TRA as part of its safeguard review, Tata said that if 2m-wide material, which it does not produce, is removed from the safeguard, it would be bought and slit, meaning it is no different from the material produced by Tata . But ISTA said 2m-wide HRC is a "significant part" of the yellow goods market and is used by companies such as JCB, Caterpillar and Liebherr for earth-moving, construction and agricultural equipment. It is also used in pipe and tube production and does not constitute a small proportion of the overall market, as suggested by Tata, ISTA said. The material must be imported as it is not manufactured in the UK and carries a premium over speed-stock widths produced by Tata. "For Tata Steel, who import volumes of this width themselves, to suggest that wider coil is ‘often imported only to be slit to narrower cuts' is ludicrous," ISTA said, arguing that there are "almost no" slitting lines in the UK that are capable of slitting 2m-wide material. The lines that do exist typically slit hot-dip galvanised (HDG) rather than HRC, Argus understands. Importers have also questioned the economic rationale of Tata's assertion that if higher-yield HDG is removed from the safeguard, importers would buy it and use it to compete with more commoditised grades produced by Tata. Higher-yield material carries a premium, and it would make no economic sense to pay it and then compete in the commodity market, trading firms told Argus . The TRA, which is expected to announce its provisional findings this week, is widely anticipated to propose caps on the quota for other countries' HDG. Importers told Argus that they were surprised by the aggressive tone of Tata's rebuttal to claims fielded by importers about material that it does not produce being excluded from the safeguard. By Colin Richardson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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India’s Vedanta expands metals exploration

13/05/25

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13/05/25

India’s Vedanta expands metals exploration

Mumbai, 13 May (Argus) — Indian private-sector mining firm Vedanta is exploring critical mineral assets in six states as it looks to strengthen its position in the fast-growing clean energy value chain. Vedanta is exploring for copper, nickel, cobalt, chromium, vanadium, tungsten and platinum-group elements (PGEs) in states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh supported by India's policy push for mineral security , it said on 10 May. Vedanta secured four mineral blocks in the fourth round of India's critical mineral auctions. It won a vanadium and graphite block in Arunachal Pradesh and a cobalt, manganese, and iron (polymetallic) block in Karnataka. Its subsidiary Hindustan Zinc (HZL) was awarded one tungsten block in Andhra Pradesh and another in Tamil Nadu. The company is expanding its value-added aluminium products capacity in billets, primary foundry alloys, rolled products and wire rods. Aluminium billets are used in the aerospace, defence and solar power sectors, while aluminium rolled products are used in high-speed railways, electric vehicles, pharmaceuticals and battery enclosures. HZL is exploring uses for zinc beyond galvanizing steel to protect it from rust, which currently accounts for over 60pc of global zinc demand. It has entered the zinc alloy sector with a 30,000t plant and plans to significantly increase the share of value-added products in its aluminium portfolio to over 90pc in the near term. Vedanta's board earlier this year approved an investment of about $1.5bn to expand its aluminium capacity, including an expansion at its smelter in Orisha to increase production, as well as increased value-added product capacity at its flagship aluminium plants. By Deepika Singh Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Russia urges decision on Bolivia Li deal

12/05/25

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12/05/25

Russia urges decision on Bolivia Li deal

Sao Paulo, 12 May (Argus) — The Russian ambassador to Bolivia today criticized what he described as Bolivian government stalling of a $970mn lithium concession deal with Russian-backed Uranium One Group. Dmitry Verchenko, in an interview with Bolivian state outlet Agencia Boliviana de Información, said the Bolivian congress is taking an "excessive" amount of time to reach a decision on the $970mn lithium concession deal signed in September 2024. The concession deal included the production of 14,000 metric tonnes (t)/yr of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) from the Uyuni salt flat — the largest lithium reserve in the world at 23mn t. Verchenko said that Uranium One, a subsidiary of state-owned atomic energy agency Rosatom, will build a pilot plant capable of producing 1,000t/yr LCE as soon as possible and follow up with gradual expansions. The project — which is still unnamed — will be the country's first direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant, a brine processing method that reduces LCE production time and water usage. Bolivian energy minister Alejandro Gallardo last month urged congress to approve both Russia's and China's CBC concession deals , but still no progress has been made. Congress in February said that it would only discuss the two deals after a nationwide round of public consultations that remains unscheduled. Political uncertainty delays Bolivia's Li hopes There is no forecast of when or if the concessions may be approved because Bolivia's congress is deeply divided between allies and political opponents of Luis Arce, the current president. Neither faction has the required majority for the bills to pass. The country will hold a presidential election in August and market participants expect a congressional vote on the matter may be pushed to next year because of uncertainty in the current polling ahead of the election. Russia looks further afield Verchenko added that Russian and Uranium One are waiting on the approval of the concession deal despite neighboring Argentina and Chile rapidly developing their lithium markets. Given the delay, Russia is already looking for alternative lithium solutions in Latin America with Brazil emerging as a potential partner . Following an in-person meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin on 10 May, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva confirmed that Brazil is actively seeking to collaborate with Russia to extract spodumene from the country's so-called Lithium Valley, a lithium-rich region located in the state of Minas Gerais. Bolivia's 2024 lithium carbonate output stood at 1,832t . By Pedro Consoli Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Tata UK lambasts importers' TRA submissions

12/05/25

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12/05/25

Tata UK lambasts importers' TRA submissions

London, 12 May (Argus) — Claims by the International Steel Trade Association and importers in the Trade Remedies Authority's (TRA) safeguard review are "factually incorrect", Tata Steel UK has said Importers have stated — accurately — that Tata does not produce 2m-wide hot-rolled coil, or material with a tensile strength of over 500 megapascal, so these products should not be under the scope of the safeguard. In a rebuttal submission released by the TRA today, Tata said such specifications "constitute a small proportion of the overall market", and that current quotas are more than sufficient to provide import choice. Should these grades be excluded from the safeguard, Tata — which is effectively a re-roller until its electric arc furnace becomes operational — said importers could circumvent the safeguard, importing higher grades "at much lower prices" to compete with material produced and sold by Tata. Tata said wider coil is "often imported only to be slit into narrower cuts", meaning it is not fundamentally different from material it sells domestically. Some applications do require decoiled 2m-wide material, but Tata suggests this is a small proportion of the overall market. No end-users have raised concerns regarding supply of such material, Tata said, adding that sufficient tonnes could be imported from the EU or Turkey, origins with quotas that are "consistently underutilised quarter after quarter". Buyers just want such products to be excluded so they can "access significantly lower-priced imports", it said. Tata has requested quotas be amended in line with the demand reduction seen in recent years, and that caps are implemented on other countries' quota for hot-dip galvanised. Should a cap of 25pc be imposed, which is what the market anticipates, some traders said material currently on route to the UK could still be clearing in January 2026. The TRA is expected to release its initial findings this week. By Colin Richardson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Ford pauses production at Chicago plant

09/05/25

News

09/05/25

Ford pauses production at Chicago plant

Houston, 9 May (Argus) — Automaker Ford temporarily shut down production at its Chicago, Illinois, assembly plant following a supply chain disruption. The company said it moved a planned downtime week ahead of schedule and expects to resume production by 19 May. Congressman Frank Mrvan (D-Indiana) in a US House appropriations hearing on 7 May said the shutdown was due to a shortage of critical minerals needed to produce the company's braking systems. The company did not respond to the specific elements driving the shutdown. The plant manufactures the Ford Explorer, Police Interceptor Utility and Lincoln Aviator. By Jenna Baer Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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