A new smelter has reportedly been built in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which aims to produce 30% of the world's germanium.
Congolese President Tshisekedi inaugurated a hydrometallurgical plant in the southeast of the country on Wednesday.
The plant will produce germanium, zinc oxide, copper and cobalt from mining waste at a nearby tailings site called Big Hill, according to the plant's website.
The project is operated by Societe congo pour le Traitement du Terril de Lubumbashi (STL), a unit of Congo's state-owned mining company Gecamines.
STL's website claims that it will produce 30% of the world's germanium supply.
Germanium is a silver-white metal used in fiber optic communications, night vision goggles and space exploration. Most satellites are powered by germanium based solar cells. China controls much of the world's supply of metals seen as vital to strategic industries.
About 60% of the world's germanium is produced in China, according to the Critical Raw Materials Alliance.
In August, China restricted germanium exports as its tit-for-tat technology trade war with the United States and Europe escalated.
