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Rare earth refineries near the Mongolian city of Baotou pictured behind a blackened lake in 2012. AFP via Getty Images Rare Earths And Economic Security The issue is that the U.S. imposition of tariffs on China, in a dramatic trade war, has recently led China to ban the export of heavy earth metals to the U.S. Why is this an issue? Rare earth metals are important for energy security and economic advancement. They are key to the strongest batteries used in wind turbines to make electricity, as well as electric motors in EVs. But rare earths are also critical pieces of economic advancement, such as semiconductor chips and robots. America’s race to lead in artificial intelligence (AI) has been fueled by its access to high-grade chips. Last, but not least, are U.S. defense systems that depend on rare earths: missiles, radar, and jet fighters. All of these applications could be undermined by China’s export bans. But Australia also mines rare earths. The country, rich in minerals, is also advanced in energy technology. It leads the world in green electricity supplied by wind and solar and battery storage. Since 2023, one state, South Australia, has been operating its grid with 72% supplied by renewables, and just last week announced an uptick in the supply that should help it reach its goal of 100% by 2027. Integral to this is Australia’s development of grid-scale battery storage systems (BESS) that were invented down under by Elon Musk in 2016, and shown to stabilize the intermittent supply of electricity. Recently, the government of Australia has appointed sizeable funding that includes mining and processing of rare earths. The overt goal is to shore up Australia’s security, but also with an eye to helping the U.S. which is kind of stuck because of the trade impasse…

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Filed under: News - @ May 1, 2025 8:27 pm