Exclusive:Warning over reliance on China for crucial wind turbine magnets
A Dundee University study has warned about the difficulties in moving manufacturing of crucial magnets away from China amid an uncertain geopolitical landscape.
Experts at a Scottish university have concluded that reducing dependency on China for magnets used in wind turbines is critical for net zero ambitions amid a warning there is “no simple and quick solution”.
The Dundee University study has called for the vital magnets, used in wind turbines, electric cars and mobile phones, to be shifted from manufacture in China to the UK. But the research has issued a warning over considerable political, financial and ethical challenges with the overhaul.
The appeal comes amid a difficult geopolitical landscape between the UK and China, with the Labour government blocking plans for Chinese company, Ming Yang, to set up a £1.5 billion turbine factory in the Scottish Highlands over national security and cyber security fears.
Experts from Dundee University’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Business have warned that obtaining a UK supply of neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets, which are essential for the operation of electric vehicles, mobile phones and wind turbines, will present considerable political, financial and ethical challenges.
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The study warns that building stockpiles, including the creation of strategic reserves, is integral to securing supply of the magnets, but that reducing dependency on China may still take several years.
Dr Thomas Jones, an expert in advanced manufacturing and materials science at Dundee University, said: “As the transition to clean energy sources intensifies, the critical role of NdFeB magnets has become increasingly apparent.
“This includes the supply chains required to manufacture these and the complex challenges governments face in ensuring their steady and safe supply.
“However, we live in uncertain times and political and economic realities mean there is a need for governments to be aware of the significance of these components. From the electric vehicles we drive to the phones and tablets we use to communicate, much of our modern lives cannot be sustained without these critical components.
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“There is no simple and quick solution, which presents a considerable challenge for governments and industry in striking a balance between security and sustainability, diversification and cost, and innovation.”
NdFeB magnets are among the world’s strongest permanent magnets and are used in dozens of household and industrial applications.
Scottish Conservative energy spokesperson, Liam Kerr, said: “Scotland’s energy security cannot be built on supply chains controlled on the other side of the world.
"This warning should be a wake-up call to governments across the UK that critical components for our energy infrastructure must not leave us vulnerably exposed to Beijing.
"We should back Scottish and British industry to build resilient supply chains as a priority. Energy security means being able to keep the lights on without having to rely on others.”
Graham Leadbitter, SNP energy spokesperson at Westminster, said: “UK government investment has been directed into anything but Scotland’s energy future which has left us without the ability to produce and develop these technologies at the scale required to deliver on our renewables potential.
“Scotland should be at the beating heart of European energy security, renewables technology and supply chains, but instead Westminster has starved our energy sector of investment and denied Scotland the UK's largest turbine factory via Ming Yang."
A UK Government spokesperson said: “From driving our wind turbines to the electric vehicles that will help power the clean transition, rare earth permanent magnets are crucial to the UK and to all advanced economies.
“That’s why we are committing £20 million of grant funding as part of the critical minerals strategy, to develop a world-class national facility to develop new and innovative manufacturing capability for rare earth permanent magnets in the UK.”
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