Turkey has discovered a huge deposit of rare earth elements: what a problem this presents for Greece

Huge deposit of rare earth elements discovered in Turkey, which made our neighbor the second country in the world after China in terms of the reserves of these elements.

Concerning Turkey acquires great geo-economic importanceespecially for Westerners who depend primarily on rare earth metals of China and Russia.

In this case, masterful manipulation and allocation of the corresponding Greek deposits are now needed, and not their degradation and burying, in order to balance the Turkish advantage, says Theophrastos Andreopoulos, a columnist for a popular Greek publication. Pronews.gr.

Discovery of this deposit sharply increases the political weight of Turkey, since rare earth elements are essential for the automotive industry. Even more rare earths are needed for the new type of economy the West wants to acquire so that it does not depend on fossil fuels. That is, the “green” growth that Joe Biden’s Democrats dreamed of requires a good “reservoir” of rare earths.

In particular, the Turks discovered in the city of Beylikova, in the province of Eskisehir, a huge deposit of rare earth elements with a volume of 694 million metric tons. As you know, the world market for rare earth elements is dominated by China, whose reserves reach 800 million metric tons, which puts our aggressive neighbor in second place in terms of reserves of these elements in the world.

It is noted that, according to AA Energy, 10 out of 17 types of rare earth elements are present in the bowels of Beilikov, while they are especially close to the groundwhich makes them especially easy to hunt.

The huge deposits of Turkey, which are more than enough to cover the world’s needs for about 1000 years, will not go unused. At the same time, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez indicated that during this year the processes of creating the necessary capacities for production will be launched.

Once completed, annual production could reach 570,000 metric tons of rare earths, nearly double the estimated demand in 2030.

It is currently unknown what rare earth elements are hidden in the bowels of Turkey, but according to local media, more than 1/3 can be used in the automotive industry, mainly in the production of electric vehicles. The field will bring significant economic benefits to Turkey, making a decisive contribution to the country’s GDP.

This is a short term benefit. The long term is that now Americans and all Westerners will need Turkey even more precisely because Turkish rare earth deposits will satisfy their production needs for centuries to come. Especially at a time when Chinese deposits may not be available to the West in the near future, and Russian ones will definitely not be available. And it is obvious that two planetary blocks are being created, one in the East and one in the West, which will have a lot of friction for dominating the world.

Without rare earths, the West will lag behind the East in terms of technological superiority. Renewable energy sources such as wind require wind turbines, solar power requires photovoltaics, electric and hybrid vehicles require special batteries that require large amounts of rare earths.

It is worth noting that rare earth elements are a group of 17 metals with exotic names – yttrium, europium, terbium – which are necessary for the production of electronics and high-tech products such as mobile phone and TV screens, electrical appliances and … batteries.

Greece’s mineral wealth exceeds 40 billion euros and has attracted the interest of the Chinese, who until recently owned more than 90% of the world’s rare earth reserves. At the same time, China has accumulated significant experience in research and mining of rare earth elements.

According to the Institute of Geological and Mining Research, the largest reserves are located along the coast of Northeast Greece, between the peninsulas of Halkidiki and Kavala, and extend for 240 kilometers along the coast, as well as in central Greece, in Phokis and in the Lokris region. But, apparently, the development of Greek deposits is not profitable for the current rulers of Greece or those who stand behind them, as it can lead to economic or (forbid not impure) political independence.

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