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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. saw a resurgence in the mining of non-fuel minerals last year as the nation began to rebound from the COVID-19-induced economic malaise, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). However, the country's strong dependence on "critical minerals" from overseas remained a point of concern.
In 2021, the estimated total value of non-fuel mineral production in the U.S. was $90.4 billion, an increase of 12% from the revised total of $80.7 billion in 2020, according to the USGS' Mineral Commodity Summaries 2022 report. Approved for publication on January 31, the report covers the production of roughly 90 non-fuel mineral commodities.
The total value of industrial minerals production was $56.6 billion, a 6% increase from that in 2020. The estimated value of metals production increased 23% to $33.8 billion. The increased price for copper, which was projected to be an all-time high of about $4.20 per pound in 2021, contributed to the increased value, the report noted. Also, $29.2 billion was for construction aggregates, comprising construction sand and gravel and crushed stone.
"Increases in consumption of non-fuel mineral commodities in commercial construction, steel production, and (the) automotive and transportation industry were attributed to the restarting of the economy after closure because of the global COVID-19 pandemic," the report said. "For the metals sector, the copper, iron ore, steel and zinc industries were particularly affected by increased demand from manufacturing. For the industrial minerals sector, the largest increases in production were in cement, crushed stone, sand and gravel, and soda ash, commodities that are closely tied to the performance of the construction industry."
Click on the image at right for a USGS map showing the value of metals and metallic minerals produced in 2021, by U.S. region.
According to the preliminary numbers in the report, U.S. iron ore production zoomed to 46 million tons last year from 38.1 million tons in 2020. Mines in Michigan and Minnesota shipped 98% of the domestic usable iron ore products. Industrial Info is tracking $1.9 billion worth of active iron ore mining projects in the U.S. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for the project reports.
Domestic iron ore products were consumed by the U.S. steel industry, with an estimated value of $4.3 billion, a 23% increase from $3.5 billion in 2020. Total raw steel production was estimated to have increased to 87 million tons in 2021 from 72.7 million tons in 2020. The report noted the start of commercial production at a new hot-briquetted iron (HBI) plant in Ohio in late 2020, making it the fourth iron metallics facility operating in the U.S. Cleveland-Cliffs Incorporated's (NYSE:CLF) (Cleveland, Ohio) direct reduced iron/hot-briquetted iron plant in Toledo, Ohio, is capable of producing 1.9 million tons per year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for a detailed project report.
Industrial Info is tracking 20 steel works and blast furnace projects, worth $5.92 billion, that are under construction in the U.S. Subscribers can click here for a list of detailed project reports. Among the projects is Nucor Corporation's (NYSE:NUE) (Charlotte, North Carolina) $1.7 billion steel plate mill in Brandenburg, Kentucky. When finished, the facility will be able to produce 1.2 million tons per year of steel plate. For more information, subscribers can click here. For related information, see January 28, 2022, article - Flush with Cash, Steelmaker Nucor Expects to Up Capex by $700 Million This Year.
Reliance on Imports
The U.S. relies heavily on foreign sources for raw and processed mineral materials, the report noted. In 2021, imports made up more than one-half of the U.S. apparent consumption of 47 non-fuel mineral commodities, and the U.S. was 100% net-import-reliant for 17 of those. China, followed by Canada, supplied the largest number of the non-fuel mineral commodities.
Of the 35 minerals or mineral material groups identified as "critical minerals," the U.S. relied totally on imports for 14 of those, and an additional 15 critical mineral commodities had a net import reliance greater than 50%. Critical minerals are defined as being essential to the economic or national security of the U.S., and range from lithium to aluminum (bauxite).
The U.S. was more than 25% import-reliant on lithium in 2021, according to the report. The material is crucial in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles and other items as the country shifts to non-greenhouse-gas-emitting power sources. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported Wednesday that in the fourth quarter of 2021, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles accounted for 11% of light-duty vehicle sales in the U.S.
Excluding U.S. production, worldwide lithium production in 2021 increased by 21% to about 100,000 tons from 82,500 tons in 2020 in response to strong demand from the lithium-ion battery market and increased prices. The only lithium production in the U.S. last year was from one brine operation in Nevada, the USGS report said.
Industrial Info is tracking more than $11 billion worth of lithium mining, processing and recycling projects in the U.S. Subscribers can click here for a list of detailed projects. Among those under construction is Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated's (NYSE:BRK.A) (Omaha, Nebraska) geothermal lithium brine extraction plant in Calipatria, California. Located at the Salton Sea, the project by BHER Minerals LLC, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway's BHE Renewables division, is part of a lithium recovery demonstration program to determine the feasibility of extracting lithium from geothermal brine and converting it to battery-grade lithium hydroxide. Subscribers can click here for project details.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
In 2021, the estimated total value of non-fuel mineral production in the U.S. was $90.4 billion, an increase of 12% from the revised total of $80.7 billion in 2020, according to the USGS' Mineral Commodity Summaries 2022 report. Approved for publication on January 31, the report covers the production of roughly 90 non-fuel mineral commodities.
The total value of industrial minerals production was $56.6 billion, a 6% increase from that in 2020. The estimated value of metals production increased 23% to $33.8 billion. The increased price for copper, which was projected to be an all-time high of about $4.20 per pound in 2021, contributed to the increased value, the report noted. Also, $29.2 billion was for construction aggregates, comprising construction sand and gravel and crushed stone.
"Increases in consumption of non-fuel mineral commodities in commercial construction, steel production, and (the) automotive and transportation industry were attributed to the restarting of the economy after closure because of the global COVID-19 pandemic," the report said. "For the metals sector, the copper, iron ore, steel and zinc industries were particularly affected by increased demand from manufacturing. For the industrial minerals sector, the largest increases in production were in cement, crushed stone, sand and gravel, and soda ash, commodities that are closely tied to the performance of the construction industry."
According to the preliminary numbers in the report, U.S. iron ore production zoomed to 46 million tons last year from 38.1 million tons in 2020. Mines in Michigan and Minnesota shipped 98% of the domestic usable iron ore products. Industrial Info is tracking $1.9 billion worth of active iron ore mining projects in the U.S. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for the project reports.
Domestic iron ore products were consumed by the U.S. steel industry, with an estimated value of $4.3 billion, a 23% increase from $3.5 billion in 2020. Total raw steel production was estimated to have increased to 87 million tons in 2021 from 72.7 million tons in 2020. The report noted the start of commercial production at a new hot-briquetted iron (HBI) plant in Ohio in late 2020, making it the fourth iron metallics facility operating in the U.S. Cleveland-Cliffs Incorporated's (NYSE:CLF) (Cleveland, Ohio) direct reduced iron/hot-briquetted iron plant in Toledo, Ohio, is capable of producing 1.9 million tons per year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for a detailed project report.
Industrial Info is tracking 20 steel works and blast furnace projects, worth $5.92 billion, that are under construction in the U.S. Subscribers can click here for a list of detailed project reports. Among the projects is Nucor Corporation's (NYSE:NUE) (Charlotte, North Carolina) $1.7 billion steel plate mill in Brandenburg, Kentucky. When finished, the facility will be able to produce 1.2 million tons per year of steel plate. For more information, subscribers can click here. For related information, see January 28, 2022, article - Flush with Cash, Steelmaker Nucor Expects to Up Capex by $700 Million This Year.
Reliance on Imports
The U.S. relies heavily on foreign sources for raw and processed mineral materials, the report noted. In 2021, imports made up more than one-half of the U.S. apparent consumption of 47 non-fuel mineral commodities, and the U.S. was 100% net-import-reliant for 17 of those. China, followed by Canada, supplied the largest number of the non-fuel mineral commodities.
Of the 35 minerals or mineral material groups identified as "critical minerals," the U.S. relied totally on imports for 14 of those, and an additional 15 critical mineral commodities had a net import reliance greater than 50%. Critical minerals are defined as being essential to the economic or national security of the U.S., and range from lithium to aluminum (bauxite).
The U.S. was more than 25% import-reliant on lithium in 2021, according to the report. The material is crucial in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles and other items as the country shifts to non-greenhouse-gas-emitting power sources. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported Wednesday that in the fourth quarter of 2021, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles accounted for 11% of light-duty vehicle sales in the U.S.
Excluding U.S. production, worldwide lithium production in 2021 increased by 21% to about 100,000 tons from 82,500 tons in 2020 in response to strong demand from the lithium-ion battery market and increased prices. The only lithium production in the U.S. last year was from one brine operation in Nevada, the USGS report said.
Industrial Info is tracking more than $11 billion worth of lithium mining, processing and recycling projects in the U.S. Subscribers can click here for a list of detailed projects. Among those under construction is Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated's (NYSE:BRK.A) (Omaha, Nebraska) geothermal lithium brine extraction plant in Calipatria, California. Located at the Salton Sea, the project by BHER Minerals LLC, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway's BHE Renewables division, is part of a lithium recovery demonstration program to determine the feasibility of extracting lithium from geothermal brine and converting it to battery-grade lithium hydroxide. Subscribers can click here for project details.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
