Russia's loparite in crisis

摘要

STORM CLOUDS are gathering over the Lovozersky ore combine in Murmansk, north-west Russia, the world's primary producer of loparite concentrate, as a result of a dispute with its main customer. Lovozersky GOK, the mining and processing combine based at Revda, Murmansk oblast, which has traditionally, sold all its concentrate to one of Russia's leading rare earths producers, Solikamsk Magnesium Works (SMW) in the northern Urals for processing, has now cut shipments by nearly half.