← Critical Metals
Dependency· Critical Metals · Link
Tellurium, copper anode slimes (Daye)
Daye, China30.08°N 114.97°E
computed criticality10/100
reading
China ~62% of refined tellurium, a copper by-product (2024, USGS)
2024Fault line
Like selenium, tellurium comes out of the anode slimes of copper refining, which physically bounds supply. Refined tellurium is mostly Chinese. It is the upstream link of CdTe solar cells, whose main downstream outlet is First Solar: a narrow chain, tightened at every peak in solar demand.
Actors
Daye Nonferrous
First Solar (CdTe, downstream)
Sources
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2025estimate