Critical Mineral Demand - A UK Perspective
Hi folks,
First time OP poster. I thought I would share my thoughts on the UK's outlook and the areas they are most focused on. I have seen a lot of discussion focused on US and Australia, so I would I would provide further insight into another corner of the world.
The recently released Vision 2035: Critical Minerals Strategy (published 22 November 2025). Interesting read around the future of critical minerals. Some key points:
The UK has commited to:
- building domestic refining capacity
- commercialising recycling (especially in the REE space)
- integrating recycling into national supply chains
- partnering with their allies (US, EU, Australia, Canada)
What I found the most interesting was Critical Minerals technical annex, which revealed the following (I placed this into excel for simplicity and added the ratio of 2024 vs 2035):
UK Critical Mineral Demand Forecast
The accompanying Annex provides a detailed breakdown of key growth groups (see example below). Clearly, Lithum is the standout, with Graphite and REEs following 2nd and 3rd place (respectively). Personally, I am most interested in the impacts of REEs on key sectors like defence, so I like REEs (they are kind of neat). Below is the forecast demand on REEs and which sectors make up said demand:
So based on the UKs findings, their REEs forecast tell us:
- REE demand in 2024: 1,161 tonnes
- REE demand in 2035: 37,940 tonnes
That is a 32.7× increase in 11 years. The UK produces very little domestically, so they are fully dependent on imports — mostly from China.
Questions around my positions are pretty simple: I like Ionic Rare Earths (IXR / IXRFF) due to their recycling technology and their location to a deep-water seaport in Belfast. They fit within the UK (and broader) policy environment and fit within my interests.
Anyway, I welcome any thoughts and comments.
<3
Posted Dec 1, 2025, 3:11 AM UTC