March 16 (Reuters) - Tantalite prices have surged to their highest level in more than two decades on supply fears following landslides at a major mine in top producer, the Democratic Republic of Congo, while demand for the metal used in electronics and chemical-processing equipment remained robust.
Tantalite is the primary source of tantalum, a metal used in capacitors, aerospace components, and nuclear technology.
Here are some details and background:
* European tantalite prices have surged to $200-$210 perpound, a 90% year-to-date jump and the highest since the 2000s. * Earlier this month, a landslide hit the Rubayacolumbite-tantalite mine in eastern Congo. * The Rubaya mine is in rebel-controlled territory and fallsoutside any official due diligence system, but the shutdown isstill disrupting supply because much of the metal from the DRCends up in top consumer China, three market sources said. * According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Congo producedmore than 50% of global tantalum mine output in 2025, whileRwanda is a major producer and exporter. * "AI data centers are expected to buy up a lot oftantalum-containing products like capacitors and memory chipsthis year. Additionally, if you're building an AI data centerwith a big gas turbine, some of the super-alloys used inindustrial gas turbine blades contain significant amounts oftantalum," said Sian Morris, a senior analyst at informationprovider Argus.(Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad and Pablo Sinha in Bengaluru; Editing by Eileen Soreng)
By Pablo Sinha and Ashitha Shivaprasad
