China’s Terbium Bottleneck: Environmental Compliance, Not Quotas, Drives Heavy Rare Earth Supply Constraints
The source argues that China’s terbium supply shortfall is primarily driven by mine closures linked to stringent environmental regulations, with only about 25% of HRE-related quotas utilized in 2018. Under EV and wind expansion scenarios, shortages could rise 2–5x by 2060 unless green mining breakthroughs and other mitigation measures materially expand compliant supply.