Fluorite - Strategic mineral of the green energy era

As the global energy transition accelerates, fluorspar is establishing itself as a key mineral for many modern technologies. From its traditional role in steelmaking and aluminum refining, fluorspar is now a key material present in almost every sector of the cleantech industry. It is essential for the production of electrolytes for batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, semiconductor etching agents and the next generation of low global warming refrigerants.

View of Nui Phao Mineral Processing Plant (MHT).

China tightens control - Global warning signal

According to Visual Capitalist, China currently accounts for nearly 70% of global Fluorite production, playing a dominant role in both mining and processing. Along with the increasingly obvious trend of resource protection, this country has begun to tighten the export of Fluorite, after doing the same with Tungsten and Antimony - two other important minerals in the group of "strategic materials".

Fastmarkets data shows that in 2023, China's fluorspar exports will fall sharply, while its metspar imports will increase by 34%, surpassing the one million ton mark. This move will force high-tech materials manufacturers around the world to find more reliable alternative sources, starting a restructuring of the global fluorspar supply chain.

Vietnam ranks 5th in the world in fluorspar production, accounting for about 2.7% of global production. This advantage is concentrated in the Nui Phao polymetallic mine ( Thai Nguyen province).

Demand increased sharply, supply has not been able to adapt in time

In the face of the global shift to clean technology, highly refined Fluorspar (Aidspar) is gradually moving beyond its traditional industrial role to become a strategic link in the new energy value chain.

According to Fastmarkets, global demand for Fluorite could increase by 25-30% in the coming years, thanks to the boom in electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems (ESS). Notably, Lithium Hexafluorophosphate (LiPF₆) - a compound derived from Fluorite, is an indispensable component in lithium-ion batteries. In addition, Fluorite is also a raw material for the production of pure hydrofluoric acid (HF) used in semiconductors, fluoropolymers and refrigerants for electric vehicle and renewable energy applications.

As demand outpaces supply expansion, fluorspar prices are forecast to remain high, cementing the mineral’s position alongside Lithium, Cobalt and Tungsten – pillars of the global green, clean-tech economy .

MHT contributes to putting Vietnam on the world Florit map

Highly refined fluorspar (acidspar) is gradually moving beyond its traditional industrial role to become a strategic link in the new energy value chain.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS, 2022), Vietnam ranks 5th in the world in terms of Fluorspar production, accounting for about 2.7% of global production. This advantage is concentrated in the Nui Phao Polymetallic Mine (Thai Nguyen province) - one of the largest Fluorspar mines on the planet, and also contains many strategic minerals such as Tungsten, Bismuth and Copper.

The Nui Phao project, operated by Masan High-Tech Materials (MHT), a member of Masan Group, helps Vietnam form a rare integrated and sustainable Florit supply chain outside of China from mining, processing to producing pure Acidspar for high-tech industries.

In 2022, MHT co-organized the International Fluorine Forum with IMFORMED, an important milestone that put Vietnam on the world Fluorite map. The event attracted nearly 200 international experts to attend and visit the Nui Phao Polymetallic Mine.

Pioneering enterprises and strategic mineral advantages

Every year, MHT attracts many international experts to visit Nui Phao Polymetallic Mine.

The era of easy resource extraction is over. In a clean energy economy, a nation’s value lies not in how many resources it has, but in its ability to transform them into engines of innovation and sustainable development.

Amidst the wave of restructuring the global supply chain, Vietnam is gradually asserting its position in the field of high-tech materials. With pioneering enterprises such as MHT and advantages from strategic minerals such as Fluorite, Tungsten, Bismuth, that is the foundation for Vietnam to create growth associated with responsibility and a green future.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202511/florit-khoang-san-chien-luoc-cua-ky-nguyen-nang-luong-xanh-8b34ab9/