Rare Earth Elements in Turkey: Emerging Prospects

benefits derived from geological resources.

MSP intends to facilitate government and private sector investments throughout the entire value chain while upholding the highest standards of environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and governance. The MSP includes Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Commission. These partners are dedicated to establishing responsible and resilient critical mineral supply chains that support both economic prosperity and climate-related objectives. It can be seen as an effort to reduce the dependency on China.

Turkey’s Progress So Far
Turkey has a long history of exploration for rare earths, with reports dating back to the early 1970s. However, the most concrete work began in 2011, with Eti Maden, a Turkish state company specializing in mining and geology of these elements. During the six years that followed, 125,193 meters of drilling were carried out, and 59,121 samples were collected from the field. These samples were analyzed, leading to the discovery of 694 million tons of rare earth elements.6

Eti Maden plans to initially process around 1,200 tons of ore per year at a pilot facility. However, with a significant investment in a larger industrial facility in the coming years, this amount is expected to increase substantially to approximately 570,000 tons. The processed ore is projected to yield about 10,000 tons of rare earth oxide, 72,000 tons of barite, 70,000 tons of fluorite, and 250 tons of thorium, a nuclear industry fuel.7

According to the then Turkey’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Fatih Donmez, the newly uncovered rare earth element reserve is conveniently located close to the surface. This advantageous positioning implies that the extraction process will be less expensive. He also stated that Turkey could produce ten rare elements from this reserve. This significant discovery will enable domestic production of rare elements primarily for Turkey’s industrial sectors while also creating export opportunities.8

As highlighted by Donmez, the Turkish economic model encompasses key principles such as investment, employment, production, and export. In line with this model, the focus is on leveraging Turkey’s rare earth element reserves to establish a flourishing high-end industry.