---
title: A US Technology Company Has Bought a Quarter of Europe's First Gallium Output
description: METLEN will make about 50 tonnes of gallium a year in Greece from 2027. A US technology company has already contracted a quarter of it.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
updated: 2026-07-29T11:25:11.993Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/gallium-supply-europe-us-technology-buyer
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/metlen-aluminium-of-greece-gallium-64476.webp
categories: Supply Chains
content_type: News
region: Europe
publication: Sovereign Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

A US technology company has contracted roughly a quarter of the gallium that Europe's first integrated production line will make, years before that line reaches full output. METLEN, the Greek energy and metals group building it, says the agreement is the first commercial supply deal for European-produced gallium. It has not named the buyer, and the terms are confidential.

Almost all of the world's gallium comes from China. METLEN says production is overwhelmingly concentrated there, and that China's decision to restrict gallium exports in July 2023 showed how little of the metal Europe and the United States control. The company lists integrated circuits for computing and telecoms, light emitting diodes and permanent magnets among the things gallium goes into, alongside AI hardware, renewables infrastructure and defence.

## Fifty Tonnes a Year, and Not at Full Rate Until 2028

METLEN took the final investment decision in January 2025 on a EUR 295.5 million line at Agios Nikolaos in Viotia, inside its existing Aluminium of Greece plant. The plan covers around 2 million tonnes of bauxite a year, 1,265,000 tonnes of alumina, up from 865,000, and 50 tonnes of gallium. Bauxite output is due to start in 2026, with alumina and gallium arriving gradually from 2027 and full-scale operation in 2028. A quarter of 50 tonnes is about 12.5 tonnes a year, contracted against capacity that does not exist yet.

Gallium is not mined on its own. It is recovered as a by-product when certain qualities of bauxite, Greek bauxite among them, are refined into alumina. That is why METLEN can add it to a refinery it already runs rather than opening a mine for it, and it is the reason the company describes the result as integrated production rather than a standalone plant.

## The European Commission Has Already Put Its Name to the Project

The Commission recognised the gallium investment as a Strategic Project under the Critical Raw Materials Act, and the European Investment Bank approved financing for it under the REPowerEU framework. METLEN says the aim is the full substitution of gallium imports into Europe, and that the work came from its in-house research teams at Aluminium of Greece together with a newly formed Critical and Rare Metals sub-sector of M Metals.

> "We are particularly proud that METLEN is pioneering a completely new industrial chapter for both Greece and Europe."
> — Evangelos Mytilineos, Executive Chairman of METLEN

Evangelos Mytilineos, METLEN's executive chairman, says the material has already been through extensive qualification testing, and that the interest from abroad reflects both gallium's strategic importance and confidence in what the company can make. It is the first time, he says, that one of METLEN's metallurgical products has drawn this kind of demand from leading industrial economies.

Find out more at [metlen.com](https://www.metlen.com).

## FAQ

**Q: Why is gallium important?**
Gallium goes into integrated circuits used in computing and telecommunications, into light emitting diodes, and into permanent magnets. METLEN also lists AI hardware, advanced renewables infrastructure and defence among the applications that rely on it, which is why the European Union treats it as a critical raw material.

**Q: Where does gallium come from?**
It is not mined as an ore in its own right. It is recovered as a by-product from certain qualities of bauxite, including Greek bauxite, during refining into alumina. METLEN says world production is overwhelmingly concentrated in China.