RWANDA SENDS FIRST TUNGSTEN TO US.

US Ambassador to Rwanda Eric Kneedler, Trinity CEO Peter Geleta and Nyakabingo Mine General Manager Justin Uwiringiyimana celebrating the loading of tungsten destined for the United States. Trinity Metals, a Rwandan miner controlled by private UK-based industrialist TechMet, plans to ship tungsten to America’s largest processor of the metal used in bombs, jet engines and light bulbs.

The company has signed a commercial agreement with Global Tungsten and Powders (GTP), part of the Plansee Group, and its offtake partner Traxys to deliver tungsten concentrate from the Nyakabingo mine in Rwanda, the companies said this week.

The agreement marks the first reliable supply of high-grade tungsten from Rwanda to the U.S., Trinity chairman Shawn McCormick said in a release. Eric Rowe, Plansee’s director of global raw materials, said the deal strengthens American supply chains with responsibly produced material.

National security

The U.S. has not mined tungsten domestically since 2015, while China accounts for about 83% of global supply. Tungsten is listed by the U.S. government as a critical mineral needed to support the economy and protect national security.

GTP, based in Towanda, Pa., produces powders and components for aerospace, defence and industrial applications. Plansee Group, a privately held Austrian company with annual revenue around 2.4 billion euros (US$2.8 billion), processes molybdenum and tungsten into tools, components, and semi-finished products.

Global commodity trader Traxys will handle deliveries, with CEO Mark Kristoff noting in the release the long-term partnership among the companies.

Trinity, formed in 2022, operates the Nyakabingo tungsten mine as well as the Rutongo and Musha tin mines in Rwanda. TechMet, which describes itself as being valued at more than $1 billion, controls 10 critical mineral assets across four continents.

The U.S. International Development Finance Corp., a government agency, holds a 15% stake in Trinity Metals.