Major Milestone for Europe’s Critical Raw Materials Strategy
Athens, Greece / London, United Kingdom – July 29, 2026 – METLEN announces a long-term commercial agreement for the supply of approximately 25% of the annual gallium production from its production facility in Greece which is under construction. The terms of the agreement are confidential.
The agreement marks the first major commercial gallium supply agreement between a European producer and a leading US technology company and constitutes a strategic milestone for Europe’s efforts to strengthen the resilience of its critical raw materials supply chain.
Gallium is a critical raw material essential for AI technology, advanced renewables infrastructure, telecommunications, and defence solutions. Today, global gallium production is overwhelmingly concentrated, making the development of alternative and reliable supply sources strategically important for all industrial economies.
METLEN is the first company in Europe to establish integrated gallium production and the first to secure a commercial agreement for European-produced gallium, positioning Greece and Europe at the forefront of a new strategic industrial value chain.
The achievement is the result of the long-standing research and innovation efforts of the company’s in-house R&D teams, located in the historic Aluminium of Greece industrial plant, alongside the newly established Critical & Rare Metals sub-sector of M Metals.
Evangelos Mytilineos, Executive Chairman of METLEN commented on the agreement:
“We are particularly proud that METLEN is pioneering a completely new industrial chapter for both Greece and Europe; the successful development of gallium production carried out by our teams at Aluminium of Greece. For the first time in METLEN’s history, one of our metallurgical products has attracted such strong interest from leading industrial economies worldwide. This reflects both the strategic importance of gallium and the confidence of global technology leaders in the quality and reliability of our material, which has already undergone extensive qualification testing.”
METLEN’s flagship investment for gallium production was officially recognized by the European Commission as a Strategic Project under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). The strategic importance of the project has also been recognized by the European Investment Bank (EIB), which approved financing under the REPowerEU framework.
