Abstract:
Chromium is an important foundational mineral resource, primarily used in the production of stainless steel, and has been successively included in the critical mineral lists of countries or organizations such as the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Russia. Clarifying the characteristics of global chromium ore resources, the supply-demand situation, and enterprise competition has positive significance for the sustainable development of the global chromium ore industry and the formulation of relevant policies and overseas investment of mining enterprises in China. Based on historical data related to chromium ore from 2014 to 2023, statistical data and departmental forecasts are used to analyze the characteristics of global chromium ore resources, supply-demand situation, and enterprise competition over the past decade. There are mainly two types of chromium ore deposits: stratiform and podiform, and chromium ore resources are highly unevenly distributed globally, mainly concentrated in countries such as Kazakhstan, South Africa, and Turkey. South Africa’s chromium ore production has accounted for about 45% of the global total over the past decade, making it the world’s largest producer of chromium ore. China’s chromium ore consumption increased by 94.9% over the past decade, making it the world’s largest consumer, but its own resource endowment is extremely poor, and chromium ore consumption heavily relies on imports, mainly from South Africa, with a high concentration of imports. Departmental forecast methods predict that the global demand for chromium ore in 2025, 2030, and 2035 will be 39.04 million tons, 43.10 million tons, and 45.30 million tons, respectively. The global demand for chromium ore will remain strong in the future, and the demand mainly comes from China and India. Currently, the competition for global chromium ore resources is fierce, and a situation of oligopoly dominated by mining companies such as Eurasian Resources and Glencore has been preliminarily formed. China’s overseas investment in chromium ore is relatively small, and it is at a disadvantage in the global competition for chromium ore resources. To meet future domestic demand for chromium ore, China should increase investment in chromium ore projects in countries with better resource conditions such as South Africa and Kazakhstan in different ways.