Metlen has signed a long-term agreement to supply roughly 25% of the annual output from its planned gallium production facility in Greece, marking the first major commercial supply deal for European-produced gallium between a European producer and a leading U.S. technology company.
The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The deal represents a strategic milestone in Europe's efforts to build a more resilient supply chain for critical raw materials, as governments and industry seek to reduce dependence on highly concentrated global sources of key industrial inputs.
Gallium is classified as a critical raw material because of its role in artificial intelligence applications, advanced renewable energy infrastructure, telecommunications and defense technologies. Global production remains heavily concentrated in a handful of countries, making the development of alternative and reliable supply sources a strategic priority for industrial economies.
Metlen says it is the first company in Europe to establish an integrated gallium production operation and the first to secure a commercial agreement for gallium produced in Europe. The project positions both Greece and the European Union at the forefront of a new strategic value chain for critical materials.
The development follows years of research and investment by the company's R&D teams, which have developed the production process at the historic Aluminium of Greece industrial complex under Metlen's newly established Critical & Rare Metals division, M Metals.
"We are particularly proud that Metlen is pioneering a new industrial chapter for both Greece and Europe through the successful development of gallium production at our Aluminium of Greece plant," said Executive Chairman Evangelos Mytilineos. "For the first time in Metlen's history, one of our metallurgical products has attracted such strong interest from leading industrial economies around the world. This reflects both the strategic importance of gallium and the confidence that global technology companies have placed in the quality and reliability of our material, which has already undergone extensive certification and evaluation testing."
Metlen's gallium investment has been designated a Strategic Project by the European Commission under the Critical Raw Materials Act, underscoring its importance to the bloc's industrial policy. The project has also secured backing from the European Investment Bank, which approved financing under the REPowerEU program.
