SUPPLY SECURITY
Global fluorspar production recovered to pre-recession volumes in 2010, with output surging to 6.01m. tonnes from 5.55m. tonnes the previous year. China is the world’s dominant fluorspar producer and exporter, accounting for some 3.3m. tonnes of acidspar and metspar combined - or 55% of world output.
Second to China is Mexico - an established and growing producer of fluorspar and downstream fluorspar-derived chemicals - with an output of 1.07m. tonnes in 2010, a slight increase on 2009 levels (see table).
Other important fluorspar producing countries include Mongolia, Russia, South Africa and Spain. But despite this wide regional production spread, North America, Western Europe, Japan and China still consume over 80% of the world’s fluorspar output.
Demand for both acid and metallurgical grades of fluorspar has been bullish in 2011, with price increases being pushed through by a number of producers (see...