Russia’s state nuclear company Rosatom, the country’s sole producer of hafnium used in high-tech industries, said on Tuesday it had redirected its supplies of the metal from European to Asian markets.
Rosatom subsidiary Chepetsk Mechanical Plant, which produces zirconium cladding for nuclear fuel as well as hafnium, has signed more than 10 contracts to supply Russian-made hafnium compounds to countries in South and East Asia, the plant said in a statement.
Previously, Western markets were the main destination for Russian hafnium exports, with Europe accounting for 95% of shipments, it said.
Russia has generally been shifting trade flows away from Europe and towards Asia following Western sanctions against Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine.
Hafnium, a byproduct of zirconium processing, typically occurs at a ratio of one part hafnium to every 50 parts zirconium, making its separation complex and costly.
Hafnium compounds are used in high-technology industries ranging from microelectronics to aerospace metallurgy, including the production of chips for smartphones.
“Amid a challenging international environment and the reconfiguration of traditional trade flows, specialists at Rosatom’s fuel division were able to redirect hafnium supplies from West to East,” the Russian plant said.
The company did not disclose shipment volumes or the names of buyers.
The US Geological Survey listed China and Germany as the largest exporters of unwrought hafnium in 2025.
(By Anastasia Lyrchikova; Editing by Mark Potter)
