Next part 1 of Research from the US Department of Defense, below is more information about the US assessment of rare earths Vietnam:
Vietnam rare earth
Among Vietnam’s rare earth mines, the mines at Nam Xe and Dong Pao are the most notable because of their large scale. The Nam Xe mine is larger and has a higher mineral content. Tests of the Nam Xe ore body indicate that the deposit is particularly rich in higher value heavy rare earths (HREEs), particularly including yttrium., europium and gadolinium.
It is known that mines with a high percentage of heavy rare earths (including yttrium and europium) are often much less frequent than mines containing light rare earths (LREE). The unusually high proportion of heavy rare earths in the ore bodies at Nam Xe makes rare earth oxide mining at this site potentially highly profitable.
However, at the time of the study (2013), Vietnam only had one active mine producing rare earth oxides in Dong Pao. Annual production in 2013 from ore mined here is estimated at only 3,000 tons of rare earths.
Obviously, Vietnam has great potential in the fields of rare earth oxide mining and rare earth production, but until recently, development has been slow – in part due to restrictions on the mining activities of foreign.
When the 2010 Mineral Law took effect on July 1, 2011, a number of limitations and concerns were alleviated. However, the Minerals Law stipulates that 30-year mining strategies must be applied to each mineral, and emphasizes that mining activities will be restricted until the plans are approved. .
In December 2011, Vietnam requested that before applying the 30-year strategy for rare earth oxides, “all mining, processing and exporting activities of rare earths… must be approved by the Prime minister”.
This clearly shows that Vietnam has realized the importance of rare earth ore bodies; and Vietnam needs to adopt a comprehensive plan to exploit valuable resources.
Meanwhile, the US demand for rare earths is not small. The House Committee on Armed Services reports that “each Virginia-class SSN-774 nuclear submarine will require approximately 9,200 pounds (about 4 tons) of rare earth material, each DDG-51 Aegis destroyer will require approximately 5,200 pounds.” pounds (about 2.4 tons) and each F-35 Lightning II will require about 920 pounds (about 400kg).”
Potential for exploitation and cooperation
The importance of rare earths in key national defense systems prompted Congress to request detailed information on how the Department of Defense accesses rare earth supplies, in addition to asking the Department of Defense to The U.S. Department of Defense states that rare earths are both “critical to the production, maintenance, or operation of critical military equipment” and “at risk of supply disruptions, based on operations and events beyond the control of the US government”.
In response, an interim report by the US Department of Defense in 2012 examined the state of the US rare earth supply and found that there were seven rare earths that met the criteria mentioned above, including: dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, neodymium, praseodymium and yttrium. The report optimistically emphasizes that “by 2013, US production could meet the consumption required for defense procurement, with the exception of yttrium.”
After a further investigation by the US Congress into this issue, the US Department of Defense again reviewed the status of US rare earth supplies in 2013 and this time discovered a serious shortage of 6 rare earths. , namely: dysprosium, erbium, terbium, thulium, scandium and yttrium; clearly the optimistic assessment of the previous report is unfounded.
The recommendation of this second report is that the US should start stockpiling heavy rare earth strains immediately, especially yttrium. When these reports are published, it can be seen that the continued dependence of the US on China as the sole supplier of these strategic minerals is clearly a serious flaw.
Two reports from the US Department of Defense show that yttrium is the rare earth that deserves the most attention. Fortunately, Vietnam’s rare earth ore bodies are rich in yttrium.
This fact makes Vietnam a potential partner in finding a diversity of rare earth sources for the US.
In addition, the fact that the US can cooperate in recycling rare earth oxide ores and help Vietnam develop nuclear energy makes Vietnam’s rare earths even more attractive.
Through the above information, it can be seen that there are many routes and options that countries can cooperate with Vietnam to develop untapped rare earth mineral resources.
Likewise, Vietnam’s plan to develop a domestic nuclear power program through technical cooperation with Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States creates important opportunities for foreign companies to participate. business in nuclear power technology and uranium fuel.
Both of these opportunities point to the nexus between US strategic interests: promoting safe, secure, and peaceful nuclear technology and reducing dependence on China as the sole source of rare earths. best. Hopefully America will not miss this opportunity.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Soha.vn – Read the original article here
