(FPRI), a US think-tank, lists London-listed Pensana as a critical company, arguing that it plays a key role in creating a sustainable global supply chain of rare earths independent of China.
In an article entitled "key Strategic vulnerabilities of the United States: rare Earth elements", it said that since the energy security crisis triggered by the Arab oil embargo, China's dominance in the global supply chain of key minerals is one of the biggest strategic vulnerabilities facing the United States and its allies.
According to the institute, 16 UK mining companies are exploring the expansion of rare earths and refined metals, including large companies such as Glencore, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. Britain's mining renaissance has become a hot issue of policy, with parliamentary debates highlighting the importance of the rare earth element (REE) to the economy.
Pensana Mining recently won a bid to build a mineral extraction plant in Angola, the first UK-affiliated REE facility planned to operate within a decade.
The establishment of the facility is very much in line with the foreign policy of the United States, and Africa has quickly become a priority destination for important mineral mining.
Paul Atherley, chairman of Pensana, welcomed FPRI's recognition on behalf of Pensana and noted that the company's Saltend facility in Humber, UK, and its Longonjo mining project in Angola were "very much in line with the policy formulation of the United States."
Pensana also supports the UK government's ambition to bring high-value manufacturing jobs back to the UK and develop domestic manufacturing to support the emerging green economy.
