Forecast trends in demand for deficit key minerals for the Polish economy

The observation of trends in the demand for minerals is of fundamental importance in the long- -term assessment of prospects for economic development in Poland. From among 148 minerals analyzed, 42 minerals are indicated as key minerals for the country’s economy, of which 22 were recognized as deficit minerals. These minerals have been the subject of this paper. For each of these minerals the forecasts of demand by the years 2030, 2040 and 2050 have been made taking the current trends in domestic economy and premises for the development of industries that are main users of these minerals into account. The most promising prospects for growth of domestic demand – with at least a two-fold increase by 2050 – have been determined for manganese dioxide, metallic: magnesium, nickel, silicon, as well as talc and steatite, while an increase by at least 50% have been anticipated for metallic aluminum, tin, metallic manganese, and elemental phosphorus. For natural gas and crude oil growing tendencies have also been predicted, but only by 2030. On the other hand, the most probable decline in domestic demand by 2050 may be foreseen for iron ores and concentrates, bauxite, metallic tungsten, magnesite and magnesia, as well as for crude oil and natural gas, especially after 2040. It seems inevitable that the deficit in the foreign trade of minerals will continue to deepen in the coming years. By 2030 this will mainly result from the growing importation of crude oil and natural gas, but beyond – by 2050 – further deepening in the trade deficit will be related to the growing importation of many metals as well as of some industrial minerals. After 2040, the negative trade balance can be mitigated by a possible decrease in foreign deliveries of hydrocarbons and iron ores and concentrates.