RESTRICTED
APPENDIX 5 TO
ANNEX B TO
D/ACDS (CONCEPTS) DATED
108/5 OCT 89
STRATEGIC MINERALS
1. The Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) defines as
"strategic" those materials which are both critical to vital
sectors of the economy and considered to be vulnerable to disruption in supply. The degree of vulnerability to supply disruption is clearly dependent upon such factors as level of dependence upon imports, the number and nature of supply sources and the proportion of supplies derived from each
source. However, a specific mineral whose supplies are highly vulnerable to interruption would not be regarded as of strategic importance unless it was also, in some way, critical
to the UK economy.
2.
The EC as a whole, and the UK more than some, is highly
dependent upon external supplies for a range of metals and
non-fuel minerals where indigenous resources are non-existent or insufficient. A list of the minerals of most importance to
the UK with the extent of import dependence and main sources of supply is shown below. However, the DTI considers three minerals and related alloys to be most critical to UK industry and most vulnerable to supply disruption. In each case the UK
is 100% dependant upon imports although a limited amount of
recycling occurs.
a.
Chromium. Chromium enters the UK in three main
forms: ferrochromium (and ferrosilicochromium) for iron
and steel, chromite (chromium ore) for chemical and refractory purposes, and pure chromium metal. Ferrochromium (including charge chrome) is essential to the manufacture of corrosion-resistant (mainly stainless) steels. Chromite is processed to chromium chemicals used in paints, leather tanning, chromium plating and for the
production of chromium metal used in high performance
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