Mar. 21 at 5:12 PM
$UAMY "Depleted Twinkling Star
Antimony Mine"
This is the English name for the Hsikwangshan (Xikuangshan) Twinkling Star antimony mine in Hunan Province — historically the world's largest antimony deposit and producer. It has operated for 125+ years and supplied the vast majority of China's (and the world's) antimony output. It is now severely depleted: ore grades have collapsed, many smelters have shut down, domestic production is falling sharply, and China has responded with export restrictions and quotas to protect domestic supply for strategic industries (including green tech).
The chairman of the Twinkling Star operation has publicly stated that the surge in photovoltaic (solar) demand has "changed the supply-demand balance" for antimony. As perovskite commercialization scales (exactly what CATL, BYD, and the 100+ firms are racing toward), the mine's depletion creates a classic supply-chain pinch point: exploding Chinese solar ambitions versus shrinking domestic antimony output.