Analysis of the niobium resources supply and demand pattern in China

The reserves of niobium resources in China are 5.36 Mt, mainly distributed in Inner Mongolia, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei et al.However, low grade and low development and utilization degree makes the production of niobium is only about 50 tons a year, and the import dependence of niobium is up to 95%.In recent years, with the application of niobium in superconducting materials, aerospace, atomic energy and other fields, niobium consumption has continued to increase, and it is expected to reach 23.5 thousand tons to 33.6 thousand tons by 2030.Therefore, it is necessary to increase the exploration input of niobium mineral resources, strengthen cooperation with research institutes and geoscience cooperation research centers, and improve the efficiency of mining and application.At the same time, with the aid of “Belt Road”“the BRICS Summit”and other international cooperation platform, it is suggested to promote all-round cooperation with Brazil, Canada and other countries in all industry chain such as exploration of niobium acquisition, smelting, processing and operating.