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Industry wants to put magnesite on the list of critical raw materials

by AI | 10.Dec 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The mineral magnesite is of central importance for the decarbonization of European industry and there is a need to become more independent from China, argues the Austrian company RHI Magnesita. The company is lobbying the EU Commission to have magnesite placed on the EU list of critical raw materials.

Archive image - The company is already mining magnesite itself - also in Austria. APA/Naturschutzbund/Robert Krickl

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EU-wide/Brussels – The Austrian manufacturer of refractory products, RHI Magnesita, wants the mineral magnesite, which is important for the company, to be included on the EU’s list of critical raw materials. As a result, magnesite mining projects, for example, could be approved faster, explained the company’s Europe chief, Constantin Beelitz, in an APA interview on Monday in Brussels. Together with Euromines, the umbrella organization of European mining companies, they are trying to convince the EU Commission to list magnesite.

The company is already mining the mineral itself – also in Austria. However, mining in Europe is not enough to meet demand, which means magnesite, or the magnesia produced from it, has to be imported largely from China. “We get 65 to 70 percent of our magnesite demand from China,” says Beelitz.

Magnesite is central for decarbonization

Magnesia is a central raw material for the decarbonization of industry, especially in steel, cement, and glass production. So-called electric arc furnaces, for example, would be necessary for the production of green steel and could not function without magnesite. In addition, the mineral is needed for the production of other important raw materials, argues the RHI Magnesita manager.

“If you want to expand a mine or mining site, if you want to develop a new one – which, by the way, we will need to do in the next five years in Tyrol and Styria – you naturally have faster, more transparent approval procedures,” he advocates for listing magnesite as a critical raw material. That various checks would be omitted due to faster procedures, Beelitz does not want to accept. “It’s just about ensuring these procedures are treated with the highest priority.” As a result, the procedure duration could be reduced from the current average of eight to ten years to two.

In May, an EU law (“Critical Raw Materials Act”) came into force to reduce the EU’s dependency on critical raw materials. For appropriately listed minerals, for example, mining projects should be much easier to approve, and access to financing should be facilitated. Meanwhile, Beelitz expressed optimism that the EU Commission will comply with his company’s request. It could still take one and a half years until a definitive listing, he estimates. (09.12.2024)

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