Britain plans to build a stockpile of rare earths in case it is clamped down

Britain is already developing and building up a national reserve of rare earths, The Telegraph reported.Business Department officials are discussing how to protect Britain's access to key materials, including lithium and cobalt, the report said.

Britain could avoid a shortage by building up a global stockpile and building domestic resources at a potential lithium site in Cornwall, or using diplomatic networks to work with foreign private businesses to ensure supplies would not be disrupted, BT said, citing government sources.

UK-based Pensana is reportedly seeking to build a world-class, independent, sustainable rare earth metals supply chain.

Pensana plans, subject to funding, to build a $125 million sustainable rare earth separation plant at the Saltend Chemical Park (" SCP ") in Humber, UK.

Paul Pensana, the chairman of Pensana, said: "I think it's a good idea.Paul Atherley, chief executive, said the processing facility at Saltend in central England "has the potential to be the first large separation facility to be built in more than a decade -- one of only three major producers outside China".