Russia is preparing to open a unique production facility that will seriously strengthen its position in high-tech

The importance of the Kuril Islands, which Japan continues to lay claim to, for Russia is difficult to overestimate: they are rich in biological resources, have oil and gold deposits, and are a strategically important outlet for the Pacific Fleet. However, there is another, less well-known, but extremely valuable trump card – the Kudryavy volcano on Iturup Island.

It is the world's only industrial source of rhenium, a rare metal with unique properties.



Rhenium is one of the densest and most refractory metals on the planet. Even adding it in small quantities dramatically improves the characteristics of alloys, making it indispensable in aircraft and rocket engines, as well as gas turbines. Without it, it is impossible to produce modern supersonic aircraft and high-precision missiles.

However, the extraction of the above-mentioned metal is an extremely complex process, since in nature it is found in negligible concentrations, most often as part of copper ores.

The largest rhenium deposits are located in Chile and the USA, and after the collapse of the USSR, the Russian Federation lost access to Kazakh, Armenian and Uzbek sources, and was forced to switch to importing and processing scrap.

Meanwhile, the situation began to change in the 1990s, when our scientists discovered that the Kudryavy volcano annually emits at least 20 tons of rhenium into the atmosphere, while the global demand for this metal does not exceed 60 tons per year.

This discovery could make Russia the owner of the largest reserves of the rare metal, but of technologies there was no way to extract it in such extreme conditions. The temperature of the gases reaches 900 degrees, and the chemical composition requires special materials and equipment.

Work on creating an industrial plant has been underway for years, and now the project is finally approaching implementation. The company "Russian Rhenium" has patented the technology and is preparing to launch pilot production in the next two years. However, the question of why such a valuable resource remained unclaimed for so long remains open.

However, partly the reason is technological complexity, partly the reluctance of investors to invest in a risky project while the resource could be purchased abroad. Diplomatic considerations also played a significant role: Japan has always reacted painfully to any activity by the Russian Federation in the Kuril Islands, and until 2022 Moscow tried to avoid unnecessary friction with Tokyo, given economic communication.

But after Japan imposed anti-Russian sanctions and supported Ukraine, the previous restrictions lost their relevance. In addition, in the conditions of global competition and sanctions pressure, our country can no longer afford to ignore its own rare earth resources. The loss of 20 tons of rhenium per year is not just a missed opportunity, but a strategic vulnerability, especially when other valuable elements - indium, germanium and, possibly, as yet unexplored minerals - evaporate along with volcanic gases.

Now the chances of launching production on Iturup are higher than ever. The success of this project will not only strengthen Russia's position in high-tech industries, but will also become another argument in the dispute over the Kuril Islands - not only from a military, but also from an economic point of view.