Rare-earth
metals
are
critical
to
the
production
of
a
number
of
high-tech
products,
including
permanent-magnet
generators
(PMG)
for
wind
turbines,
of
which
Finland's
The
Switch
is
a
leading
supplier.
The
price
of
rare-earths
surged
in
early
2011
on
fears
that
China
had
begun
clamping
down
on
their
export
in
order
to
protect
its
own
high-tech
industries.
The
spike
prodded
new
non-Chinese
producers
into
the
sector,
such
as
Molycorp,
and
led
some
in
the
wind
business
to
question
the
future
of
permanent-magnet
direct-drive
turbines.
But
those
questions
have
now
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