In the hills of Viotia and the valleys of Phocis, something significant is happening. What looks at first like ordinary bauxite mining is actually the beginning of a much larger shift. Deep within these rocks lies gallium, a metal that could play a critical role in Europe’s energy future.
Gallium is essential for semiconductors, high-frequency electronics, and solar panel technology. Without it, Europe’s plans for digital transformation and clean energy would stall. Until now, the European Union has relied heavily on imports for this resource, with more than 70 percent coming from China. That dependency became a risk when China introduced export controls on gallium and germanium in August 2023.
In response to this growing vulnerability, Metlen Group announced a major investment in January 2025. The company is building an integrated facility in Central Greece that will extract gallium from local bauxite and refine it on-site. This €295.5 million project is expected to begin bauxite expansion in 2026 and reach full gallium production by 2027. The goal is to produce 50 metric tons of gallium each year.
This is not a small operation. It is the first large-scale gallium production facility of its kind in the European Union. The European Commission recognized its strategic value by including the project in a list of 47 critical raw material initiatives adopted in March 2025. Among those projects, Metlen’s is the only one based in Greece and the only gallium-focused facility of this scale.
European leaders see this as more than a regional investment. It is a step toward strategic autonomy. With gallium in short supply and high demand, the ability to source and process it domestically is essential. According to European Commission Executive Vice President Stéphane Séjourné, Metlen’s facility could eventually supply up to 30 percent of Europe’s gallium needs.
Gallium’s uses go beyond solar panels. About 40 to 45 percent of global demand comes from semiconductor manufacturing. Telecommunications accounts for another 20 to 25 percent, while green technologies make up roughly 10 to 15 percent. Its importance is only growing as Europe accelerates its digital and clean energy goals.
Until now, gallium production in Europe has been limited and mostly incidental. Small quantities were recovered as byproducts in other refining processes. Metlen’s facility is different. It represents the first time gallium will be extracted and processed as part of a dedicated, industrial-scale operation in the EU.
This development has not gone unnoticed. In 2025, the European public broadcaster ARTE featured Metlen’s project in a short documentary. The piece aired across Europe and was part of a wider reporting initiative known as the EMOVE Hub. This cross-border journalism partnership, funded by the European Commission and coordinated by ARTE, brings together major media outlets including El País, Gazeta Wyborcza, Internazionale, Le Soir, Η Καθημερινή, and others. Their goal is to cover strategic topics like energy, technology, and supply chain resilience, and to do so in ten different languages.
For Greece, this story is about more than mining. It signals a return to the center of Europe’s industrial map. Metlen’s investment is not just extracting raw materials from the ground. It is helping to build the infrastructure Europe needs for long-term energy security. It connects rural communities in Central Greece to continental goals like clean power, digital sovereignty, and supply chain independence.
Construction is ongoing, and production is still more than a year away. But the foundations are in place. Europe’s clean energy future may very well depend on what happens next in the red soil of Greece.