China is moving to restrict a little-known metal called antimony used in a growing suite of technologies that could help add more wind and solar to the power grid, escalating a fight over raw materials central to the U.S. energy transition.
China’s Commerce Ministry announced earlier this month that it will restrict exports of antimony starting Sept. 15, a move the agency said is aimed at safeguarding “national security and interests” and fulfilling “international obligations such as non-proliferation.”
The development highlights the United States’ reliance on China for a host of minerals that the federal government has deemed critical, meaning they are essential for modern technologies, economies, and national security.
That dependence has remained despite ongoing efforts and calls on and off Capitol Hill to onshore supply chains. A report from the U.S. Geological Survey in January found the U.S. last year imported more than half of the 49 nonfuel mineral commodities with the largest amounts coming from China.
