SMM News, May 28: According to recent market reports, prices of high-purity gallium (6N and above) in the European market have surged sharply recently, with spot trading prices standing at around $2,350 per kilogram. A senior insider in the gallium industry stated in an interview that the bulk spot transaction price of 6N high-purity gallium exported by their company has exceeded $2,300 per kilogram. This clearly reflects the acute shortage of high-purity gallium supply across overseas markets.

SMM News, May 28: According to recent market feedback, prices of high-purity gallium (6N and above) in the European market have continued to rise sharply, with spot transaction prices reaching around $2,350/kg. According to a senior gallium industry insider interviewed, their enterprise's bulk spot transaction price for 6N high-purity gallium exported abroad has reached over $2,300/kg. This clearly illustrates the severity of the high-purity gallium supply shortage in markets outside China.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Brazilian Rare Earths shares rose 8.7% after the company advanced plans to spin off its Amargosa Bauxite-Gallium Project in Brazil into a new ASX-listed entity, Alurion Resources. The demerger is intended to sharpen BRE’s focus on rare earths while giving shareholders exposure to a separate bauxite and gallium growth platform, with BRE retaining a minority stake in Alurion.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Western Yilgarn said re-assaying at its Cardea 1 project in Western Australia confirmed shallow gallium mineralization across multiple zones within the Darling Range bauxite province. Results showed gallium oxide grades exceeding 140 ppm, with broad shallow intersections from surface to ~7 meters depth. The company believes the project could support both bauxite and critical minerals development, including potential future gallium recovery linked to alumina production.

China is exploring the recovery of critical metals such as germanium, aluminum, lithium and gallium from coal waste to strengthen domestic strategic mineral supply. Research shows that fly ash and gangue generated during coal mining, washing and combustion may contain recoverable metals used in batteries, semiconductors, electric vehicles and defense industries. With China’s large coal sector and mature industrial network, existing coal washing plants, chemical facilities and power stations could potentially be adapted for metal extraction. However, differences in coal waste composition across regions continue to create challenges for large-scale and standardized recovery.

The US is advancing a $450M gallium supply chain project centered on the Gramercy alumina refinery in Louisiana, which is expected to host the country’s first large-scale gallium production circuit. The project involves Atlantic Alumina and includes about $150M in Pentagon funding. As the US currently has no domestic gallium production, the Gramercy refinery has become a critical asset, though its alumina operations rely entirely on imported Jamaican bauxite. China currently controls around 98% to 99% of global low-purity gallium supply, and following export restrictions, the US is accelerating efforts to build domestic critical mineral supply chains. However, the current US gallium and rare earth supply chain remains highly dependent on a single refinery and Jamaican bauxite supply.

SMM Morning Meeting Summary: Overnight, LME copper opened at $13,489/mt, initially rising to $13,533.5/mt before the price center gradually shifted lower to $13,386/mt, ultimately closing at $13,427/mt, down 1.2%. Trading volume reached 20,000 lots, and open interest stood at 277,000 lots, a decrease of 6,463 lots from the previous trading day, indicating bulls reducing positions. Overnight, the most-traded SHFE copper 2606 contract opened at 104,130 yuan/mt, initially touching a high of 104,170 yuan/mt before the price center shifted lower to a low of 103,390 yuan/mt, ultimately moving sideways to close at 103,670 yuan/mt, down 0.82%. Trading volume reached 31,000 lots, and open interest stood at 143,000 lots, a decrease of 4,124 lots from the previous trading day, indicating bulls reducing positions.

Greece’s Interministerial Committee for Strategic Investments has approved METLEN Energy & Metals’ EUR 300 million gallium expansion project linked to its existing bauxite mining and alumina refining operations at Aluminum of Greece. The project will also support the expansion of nearby bauxite mines and alumina facilities. Gallium is classified by the EU as a critical raw material used in semiconductors, photovoltaics, AI and defense technologies. METLEN said the investment aims to strengthen Europe’s domestic critical mineral supply chain, reduce import dependence and improve industrial resilience. The project is expected to receive about EUR 118 million in grants and tax incentives.

[SMM Rare Earth News Flash] Volta Metals' Springer rare earth project has indicated resources of 56.1 million mt (total rare earth oxide grade of 0.7%) and inferred resources of 119.5 million mt (grade of 0.58%), making it one of the largest rare earth resources in North America. The project is located approximately 70 kilometers from Sudbury, with well-established infrastructure, and is also rich in gallium, a critical metal required for semiconductor and national defense applications. The company plans to complete 5,000 meters of drilling in 2026, with a target of submitting a preliminary economic assessment by the end of the year, and is expected to rank among the top three rare earth projects in North America in the future.

According to Miningweekly, citing Bloomberg, a Cold War-era mine near the Slovak capital Bratislava is attracting attention from the EU. The project, known as Trojarova, is situated on a densely wooded hillside in what is known as the Little Carpathians in Slovakia, where Soviet engineers first discovered antimony-bearing ore layers in the 1980s. Its owner, Canada-based Military Metals Corp (MMC), is seen as an opportunity for Europe to secure a military metal. For critical minerals such as antimony, EU countries appear unable to provide funding and take action, leaving projects like Trojarova vulnerable to being snapped up by competitors. MMC has so far failed to secure an offtake agreement from the EU. As President Trump threatens to raise tariffs on Europe, the project illustrates the danger of Europe falling behind in the fierce competition among superpowers. As imports of critical minerals such as rare earths face restrictions, the US has been actively seeking partnerships with resource-rich countries and funding projects around the world to accelerate development, but Europe has lagged behind. "Member states remain reluctant to foot the bill for mining and processing projects outside their borders, even when geo-economic realities demand it," said Schulz Sabrina, Germany director of the European Initiative for Energy Security (EIES). "Financing remains the main obstacle." The 2023 European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) laid out the EU's strategy. The CRMA set targets that at least 10% of Europe's annual critical materials supply should come from domestic extraction and 40% from domestic processing. These targets compelled member states to take action, identify security gaps, and concentrate investment to ensure secure supplies of battery metals such as lithium. Since then, global competitors have pivoted to military resources such as antimony, gallium, and germanium, but Europe has not followed suit. Insiders believe this is because EU officials lack the authority to pursue policies similar to those of the US and lack the funding to invest. This has made it difficult for underfunded enterprises to launch minor metal projects, as they struggle to raise capital in private markets at the very least. With tight budgets across Europe, many EU member states are unknown on how to take action. In Germany, for example, the economics ministry, the chancellery, and the foreign ministry have yet to agree on how to address critical minerals risks. The result is a deadlock, with EU officials worried that member states fear missing out on opportunities. Last month, the EU reached an agreement with the US on policy coordination to secure critical minerals supply chains. For MMC, this was an important development that could lead to joint US-EU investment and offtake partnerships for Trojarova. On March 24, Hartmann Frank, a German foreign ministry official responsible for Asian affairs, said at an event in Berlin that Europe was not acting fast enough and "not doing enough." "We must implement a long-term strategy, keep the funds and capital in our hands, and invest in these critical minerals over the next decade," he said at a panel discussion hosted by the German Council on Foreign Relations. "Otherwise, we will not be able to break free from this dependency." The Trojarova project, acquired by MMC about two years ago, could be an opportunity. Antimony is a silvery-white metal commonly associated with gold, widely used in military applications such as ammunition, night-vision goggles, and infrared sensors, accounting for 15% of total demand. Other uses include flame retardants, nuclear energy, and renewable energy. "Antimony is a versatile minor metal," said Schulz. "Antimony supply is highly concentrated, and Europe is almost entirely dependent on imports." This is also why MMC has been pitching the Trojarova project to investors as a significant opportunity in Europe, capable of supplying antimony ingots directly to national defense clients. MMC CEO Eldridge Scott said smelters in Germany and Sweden could process ore from the project, helping Europe establish an entire antimony supply chain from mining to processing. The mine, located near the wine town of Pezinok in southwestern Slovakia, was first discovered and mined by the Soviets. Although the 1.7-kilometer-long mine was later abandoned, it remains one of Europe's most significant antimony deposits. MMC is too small to resume production at the mine on its own and needs to co-invest with partners and build a smelter. If production resumes within two to three years, the mine could produce 6,000 mt of antimony annually, meeting one-third of Europe's demand. However, the company, with a market capitalization of less than $30 million, needs substantial funding. In addition, critical minerals prices are prone to wild swings, and even in markets such as lithium, several major projects have stalled as miners seek government funding. No matter how high-quality this company's project may be, Europe still lacks the funding and determination to ensure the development of these resources. Germany's own 1 billion euro raw material fund has so far supported only two projects, creating more barriers for companies to qualify than it has removed. The European Commission and its member states have signed multiple memoranda of understanding with producing countries. For example, Spain reached an agreement with Brazil last month. However, US agreements with these countries are larger in funding scale and progressing faster. The US government's agreement with the EU reflects its so-called price floors to safeguard producers' operations. European countries have been hesitant, but sometimes have had no choice but to agree to US proposals. Meanwhile, the momentum for EU action has largely given way to other more pressing crises. In contrast, although the US government has recently been focused on conflicts such as the Iran war, the president's team of aides has been busy identifying mineral projects and bidding to secure them. A US enterprise has already approached MMC to request a field trip to the Trojarova project. Meanwhile, the US government's investment arm agreed last month to a $5 million deal to restart another shuttered antimony mine in North Macedonia. MMC president Hüser Thomas hopes Trojarova will not face a similar outcome. The German national, formerly a manager at Glencore, joined the company this year. "What we still lack is not plans, but enforcement," he said. "Europe's raw material strategy remains fragmented, slow, and often disconnected from industrial reality."