Ormat Technologies Inc. ORA, -0.09% today announced that the 24 MW Tungsten Mountain geothermal power plant located in Churchill County, Nevada, began commercial operation on December 1, 2017. 

Tungsten, also known as Wolfram, is a greyish-white metal having lustrous appearance with a good corrosion resistance properties. Tungsten is widely used in its alloy form because pure tungsten is expensive and even difficult for machining. Its alloy consists of nickel, iron or copper added in tungsten. 

Tungsten prices have climbed in recent weeks amid a production slowdown in China, the world's top source of this rare element used to make highly durable materials.

Analysis of latest tungsten market in China from Chinatungsten Online: Opening this week, Chinese tungsten market keeps stable on the whole, but supply and demand still refuses to budge. The tax law of environmental protection that will soon be implemented increases manufacturers’ production costs, coupled with strong rised mentality of raw material side, short-term tungsten price will be stable with good momentum.

Rare earth market quotation: Chinese rare earth price shows a slight rebound with good market atmosphere. Rare Earth Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has held a liaison meeting of inter-ministerial coordination mechanism for rare metals recently, and said it will maintain the high-pressure situation of illegal activities of rare earth. The industry crackdown may ease the contradiction between supply and demand in the rare earth market, boosting rare earth plates. Prices of praseodymium and neodymium metal rise greatly. 

Spot goods in the molybdenum concentrate market has been maintaining at a low level recently. Starting from December 22, a large mine in Heilongjiang province stopped work to undergo repair for 10 days. The two factors tighten the supply of raw material. However, the demand slowed down due to the downstream pre-stocking in the earlier stage. The price of molybdenum concentrate continues to maintain at high level at RMB 1,460-1,470/t.

Analysis of latest tungsten market in China from Chinatungsten Online: Tungsten concentrate market features tight supply and high price in China now and downstream manufacturers with low rate of production keep rising product prices. In last week, 65% wolframite concentrate was quoted at $17,209-17,519/t, up $465/t; APT was quoted at $299.6-304.8/mtu, up $5/mtu. 

Rare earth market quotation: Chinese rare earth price showed signs of rebound last week amid the latest price of lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, europium oxide and praseodymium oxide is unchanged from the previous trading day. 

Molybdenum market quotation: Chinese molybdenum market has been increase slightly recently amid the price of molybdenum concentrate, ammonium heptamolybdate and molybdenum bar rises greatly. 

Analysis of latest tungsten market in China from Chinatungsten Online: The supply and demand in Chinese tungsten market will still refuse to budge with the approach of New Year’ Day, posed by stopping production in mines and factories, interwoven environmental protection policy and financial strain. This week, the new guide prices from large enterprises and associations will come one after another and with the support of costs, market expectations will be positive.