On July 29, METLEN Energy & Metals announced a long-term deal to supply approximately 25% of the annual gallium output expected from its planned production facility in Greece. The agreement was signed with a leading US technology company and, according to METLEN, marks the first major commercial gallium supply deal between a European producer and a US technology company. The financial and commercial terms have not been disclosed.
The deal comes as Europe seeks to build more resilient and diversified supply chains for critical raw materials, including gallium, whose global production remains highly concentrated. According to Eurostat, “for its imports of gallium, the EU was extremely dependent on Chinese imports being the origin of 77% of all gallium imports into the EU in 2025. Canada and the United States were the next largest partners with 11% and 3% respectively.”
Greece’s bet on European gallium
Gallium is a critical raw material widely used in smartphones, satellites, radar systems, LEDs, photovoltaics and other advanced technologies, making diversified and reliable supply sources strategically important for industrial economies.
“We are particularly proud that METLEN is pioneering a completely new industrial chapter for both Greece and Europe; the successful development of gallium production was carried out by our teams at Aluminium of Greece,” Evangelos Mytilineos, Executive Chairman of METLEN commented on the agreement. “For the first time in METLEN’s history, one of our metallurgical products has attracted such strong interest from leading industrial economies worldwide. This reflects both the strategic importance of gallium and the confidence of global technology leaders in the quality and reliability of our material, which has already undergone extensive qualification testing.”
METLEN’s planned gallium facility in Greece has been designated a Strategic Project under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, as part of an integrated investment covering bauxite mining, alumina production and gallium recovery. The project, which includes planned annual gallium production of 50 tonnes, was among 47 projects selected in 2025 by the European Commission from 170 applications across 13 EU Member States. As METLEN states in its press release, the project is also backed by EIB financing under the REPowerEU framework, reflecting the strategic importance of this investment for diversifying Europe’s supply of critical raw materials.
The EIB investment will be implemented across two sites in Central Greece: METLEN’s bauxite mining operations in the Parnassus – Giona area, and its alumina and aluminium complex in Agios Nikolaos, Viotia, where the new gallium production facility will be developed.
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