Analysis of the potential effects of Uzbekistan’s mineral endowment on the critical mineral supply of tungsten

Tungsten appears on the 2018 and 2022 U.S. Geological Survey critical mineral lists in part because of a very high global production concentration in China, which produces almost 83 percent of the world's mined tungsten.Using known parameters and values from other tungsten mining operations, we created hypothetical scenarios in which three tungsten deposits in Uzbekistan are considered for development.Our results show that all three deposits are likely to be economically viable to develop under 2024 market conditions.If the three studied tungsten deposits were put into production, Uzbekistan could become the third-leading tungsten-producing country in the world and increase world output of tungsten by 2.7 percent.Putting these tungsten deposits in Uzbekistan into production could slightly reduce the tungsten global market concentration, therefore reducing the supply disruption potential for tungsten. Plain Language SummaryTungsten is a critical mineral used in many everyday products, from light bulbs to electronics and medical equipment.In 2024, China was the leading tungsten mining country, producing about 83 percent of all tungsten in the world.Uzbekistan has known tungsten deposits, so we investigated potential effects on the world supply of tungsten if three of those tungsten deposits were developed and produced tungsten and other minerals.Using market conditions from 2024 in our models, we determined that these tungsten deposits could be mined profitably.Our results suggest that if these deposits are developed, Uzbekistan could become the third-leading tungsten producer in the world, increasing global tungsten supply by 2.7 percent.Development of these tungsten deposits could help prevent possible shortages of tungsten.1 U.S. Geological Survey.