Britain to lead fightback against Chinese rare earths stranglehold

A French aerospace giant is to rely on British researchers to lead Europe’s fightback against China’s stranglehold on rare earths.

Safran, the world’s biggest jet engine maker, has selected the Pitstone site in the Chilterns to seek out alternatives to the critical minerals needed in green technology after Beijing “weaponised” their supply.

It comes as the West seeks to reduce its dependence on Chinese rare earths, which are vital to the production of magnets used in everything from electric cars to wind farms.

Olivier Andriès, Safran’s chief executive, said the Buckinghamshire plant was chosen after proving its credentials in developing the first electric motor ever certified for aviation.

He said the focus will be to seek out alternatives to minerals such as samarium, which is integral to the production of samarium-cobalt magnets capable of enduring high temperatures in the aerospace sector.

He said: “Electrical motors need magnets and magnets need rare earths, and most of these are coming from China. We need to work on how we reduce our dependency.

“The most obvious thing is to find alternative sources of the same rare earth, like others are doing. But here, the research is about finding alternate rare earths.

“Can we find alternative sources to samarium or even imagine rare-earth-free magnets? This is the target we have given to the team. We don’t yet know the answer.”

Mr Andriès said the issue of access to rare earths had become increasingly pressing as the aerospace industry works on hybrid propulsion systems for the next generation of airliners that will require a steady supply of magnets.

China’s control of 90pc of the global supply of rare earths could give it the ability to disrupt production of future Airbus and Boeing planes, while boosting the position of its own would-be rival, Comac.

Safran’s CFM joint venture with General Electric is the world’s largest jet engine producer.

Mr Andriès said: “The supply chain has been weaponised, it’s an instrument of power. It’s a resiliency issue for everybody, making sure that we are not dependent.

“There’s an export control system in China, so we have to apply and answer questions to make sure we get the licence for acquiring the rare earths that we need. We can find ways to buy time and we have also built up stocks.

“But the key point is to find alternative sources to develop in the short term and then in the long term – which is what we are doing in the UK – find ways to have the same functionalities and capabilities without using rare earths.”

As part of the move, Safran will designate Britain its first research and technology centre outside France.

The Paris-based group already employs 5,500 people in the UK across 14 sites, generating €1.5bn (£1.3bn) in sales and making it the country’s third-largest player in civil aerospace.

In addition to the electrical power business at Pitstone – which will also open an assembly line for electric motors – the firm also makes plane seats, engine casings and gearboxes, flight controls, landing gear and helicopter engines.

Mr Andriès warned that while China has not yet wielded the power in rare earths, but said: “We have to be mindful.”

He said: “Today, if China is willing to, they can interrupt the supply of most of the rare earths that are needed for automotive or aerospace applications.”

He said the threat may increase with the expiry of a one-year truce brokered by Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in October that suspended Chinese export controls on rare earths.

In the same month, the US signed an $8.5bn (£6.3bn) deal with Australia to expand mining and processing abilities for rare earths.

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