Abstract—
This article deals with the development of the rare-earth industry in Russia. It is noted that Russia, having a significant resource base of this type of mineral raw materials, does not fully use the existing potential. Russia exports low-processed semiproducts, and imports goods containing rare earth elements with high added value. The key problem of the industry is the insignificant domestic demand for rare-earth metals. The growing interest in the world in renewable energy sources creates new opportunities for the development of the Russian rare-earth industry and makes transition of the Russian economy to a new technological order possible. At the heart of the policy to create demand for rare-earth products within the country, the authors propose using an approach based on the consideration of full-cycle projects. The approach is characterized by three main features. First, the approach is an extension of the traditional project approach and takes into account not so much the local aspects of an individual project for the extraction and processing of ore, but its integration into the country’s economy through a system of interindustry interactions (multiplier effects). Second, as the demand for products within the country grows and the use of products based on rare-earth metals expands, the process of “learning” is launched, and the costs of mining, processing, and production of final products are reduced. Third, the approach suggests considering rare-earth ores in dumps as pseudofinancial assets with the ability to manage them as traditional economic assets.
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Rare-earth elements (REEs) or rare-earth metals (REMs) are a group of 15 lanthanides having serial numbers from 57 to 71 (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium), yttrium, sometimes scandium (serial numbers, respectively, 39 and 21). REMs are divided into three groups according to their atomic weight: light (La, Ce, Pr, Nd), medium (Sm, Eu, Gd) and heavy (Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y) (in the Western literature, they are often divided into two groups: light (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu) and heavy (Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y)). Taking into account the configuration of electrons in REM atoms, they are divided into cerium (La, Ce, Pr, Nd) and yttrium groups (Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y). The following abbreviations can be found in foreign literature: REE, rare-earth element; REM, rare-earth metal; RE, rare earth; TR, terra rara (Latin), “rare earth”; LREE, light REE; HREE, heavy REE; TREO, total rare-earth oxides.
Here and below, all figures are given in terms of REM oxides.
According to the US Mineral Reserves and Resources classification (USGS, 2022).
Since 2011, the AS Silmet plant has been owned by the American company Neo Performance Materials (formerly Molycorp, United States).
Initially, OOO ThreeArc Mining was a joint venture between the Russian Technologies State Corp. and the ICT Group. In 2019, Rostec transferred its stake (25% plus one share) to the Cypriot company Zaltama Holding Ltd, which withdrew from the project the following year. At the same time, AO Polymetal acquired a 9.1% stake in OOO ThreeArc Mining for US$20 million (Polymetal International PLC, 2020).
Solar photovoltaic or solar PV (SPV).
Hereinafter, the compound annual growth rate is given.
Other sources of electricity: hydrogen and ammonia, solar concentrators, geothermal, marine, and rechargeable batteries.
In the report “The World Energy Outlook 2021” the following scenarios are considered (they are not precise forecasts):•The Stated Policies Scenario (SPS) assumes that commitments to reduce CO2 emissions by 2050 will be partially met by governments around the world.•The Announced Pledges Scenario (APS) assumes that all commitments to reduce CO2 emissions by 2050 will be fully implemented by governments around the world, including at the national level.•The Sustainable Development Scenario (SDS) corresponds to the APS scenario. Countries with developed economies will achieve zero emissions by 2050, China by 2060, and all other countries by 2070 at the latest.•The Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE) is consistent with key UN development goals—achieving zero CO2 emissions by 2050 and full access to electricity by 2030.
The production of solar panels in Russia has been set up at various enterprises: NPP Kvant (Moscow), ZAO Telecom-STV (Zelenograd), OOO Hevel (Novocheboksarsk), AO RZMKP (Ryazan), Saturn plant (Krasnodar), Unisoleks OOO (Krasnodar), and others.
The Wind Energy Development Fund was established on a parity basis by AO Rusnano and PAO Fortum in order to invest in the construction of wind farms and launch wind-energy projects. The FRV is managed by OOO Vetroenergetika Management Co., which is owned by the partners with equal shares.
PAO Enel Russia is a generating company and a key asset of the Enel Group in Russia. The company provides electricity and heat supply to industrial enterprises and household consumers.
AO NovaWind is a division of the State Corp. Rosatom, the main task of which is to consolidate the efforts of the state corporation in the advanced segments and technological platforms of the electric-power industry, including wind energy. A joint venture between AO NovaWind and its Dutch technology partner Lagerwey Systems BV (a subsidiary of the German wind-energy giant Enercon GmbH)–Red Wind BV localized the production of wind turbines in Russia based on turbines developed by Lagerwey Systems BV.
A subsidiary of PAO Kovrov Mechanical Plant, which is part of TVEL Fuel Co. of Rosatom, which specializes in the manufacture of science-intensive and technically complex products.
JSC “NovaWind”—division of the State Corporation “Rosatom”, whose main task is to consolidate efforts of State corporations in advanced segments and technological platforms of electric power industry, including wind power energy. Joint venture of the company JSC “NovaWind” and the Dutch technology partner Lagerwey Systems B.V. (a subsidiary of the German giant wind energy industry Enercon GmbH) – Red Wind B.V., localized the production of wind turbines in Russia on the basis of turbins developed by Lagerwey Systems B.V.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The article presents the results of a study carried out at the Institute of Economics and Trade of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences within the framework of Project 5.6.3.2. (0260-2021-0004) “Resource Territories of the East of Russia and the Arctic Zone: Features of the Processes of Interaction and Ensuring the Connectivity of Regional Economies in the Context of Modern Scientific, Technological, and Social Challenges.”
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Kryukov, V.A., Yatsenko, V.A. & Kryukov, Y.V. The REM-Energy Transition Interrelation in the Context of Full-Cycle Projects. Geol. Ore Deposits 65, 438–448 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1075701523050057
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1075701523050057