The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Namibia are home to a large portion of the world's germanium reserves. The DRC's state-owned mining company, Gécamines, is working to increase the country's germanium production and exports, which could help challenge China's dominance of the global market:
New plant
Gécamines' subsidiary, STL, built a hydrometallurgical plant in Lubumbashi that began operations in 2023. The plant has the capacity to produce up to 30 tonnes of germanium annually.
Partnership with Umicore
In May 2024, Gécamines and Umicore of Belgium signed an agreement to process germanium from the "Big Hill" tailings site. The first shipment of germanium concentrate was exported to Umicore in October 2024.
Global supply
The new plant and partnership are expected to increase the global supply of germanium, which is used in semiconductors, solar cells, and optical cables.