Column: Electric dreams turn into a nightmare for battery metals
A sector that was once racing to build new supply has been closing mines and deferring projects as low prices bite into the cost curve.
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a leading voice on energy policy reform in Washington, on Thursday said she is “worried” about a Chinese company’s stake in MP Materials Inc, which owns the only U.S. rare earths mine and last month received a Pentagon grant.
“It kind of disturbs me to know that there’s a big Chinese interest there” in MP Materials, Murkowski said at a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee hearing.
Shenghe Resources Holding Co holds about 7.7% of MP’s stock, which Murkowski said “is something that we’re worried about.”
Las Vegas-based MP declined to comment.
(By Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Mark Porter)
Comments
Tony Simpson
As the free world seeks to unleash itself from suply chain monopolies for a Rare Earth minerals & Rear Earth Metals
There Is only one company outside of China that can convert REE to REM
Australian Strategic Materials