The visit emphasises the importance of domestic critical raw materials such as magnesite for the forthcoming industrial strategy.
The Chancellor was accompanied by LHStv. Martin Gruber and LR Sebastian Schuschnig, ÖVP General Secretary Nico Marchetti, Federal Managing Director Dominik Ramusch and Mayor Michael Maier.
Chancellor Christian Stocker said: “Radenthein impressively demonstrates how raw material security, digitalisation and environmental protection can be successfully combined to keep value creation in the country, secure jobs and strengthen Europe’s competitiveness at the same time. The site – in conjunction with the plant in Hochfilzen – epitomises a modern industrial policy that focuses on regional strength, technological innovation and ecological responsibility. Magnesite is of strategic importance at a time when Europe needs to become more independent and resilient. An entry in the EU list of critical raw materials would be a clear advantage – for the ecological and digital transformation in Austria and Europe, as well as for industrial value creation in rural areas.”
Rajah Jayendran, CTO of RHI Magnesita, added: “Magnesite is the material behind the materials—without it there would be no wind turbines, no batteries and no green steel. Our Austrian plants prove that responsible mining, circular economy and high‑tech production are possible in Europe.”
Radenthein digital refractory plant
The plant in Radenthein is the first refractory plant with a fully integrated Manufacturing Execution System (MES), AI-supported quality control and a digital twin of all processes.
Performance data:
- Production capacity: ≈ 140,000 tonnes/year
- Articles/formulations: > 15,000 / > 500
- Industrial customers/countries: > 700 / 40+
- Employees: ≈ 330 at the site
- Over 1,000 apprentices trained since the plant was founded in 1908
Every year, 75,000 tonnes of raw magnesite from the Millstätter Alpe are transported to the plant by cable car and refined into caustic magnesia for animal feed and soil remediation. Radenthein obtains additional high-purity magnesia from other Austrian deposits for the refractory lines. This results in precise spinel and magnesia bricks that protect electric arc furnaces in Germany, glass furnaces in Spain and copper smelters in Canada, for example.
Magnesite – the basis for modern high-temperature processes
Magnesite is the basis for refractory products that protect furnaces and reactors above 1,200 °C. Without it, there would be no climate-neutral steel, no CO₂-reduced cement, no energy-efficient glass and no battery metals. Europe imports the majority of its magnesite from China – Austrian deposits are a rare European counterweight. Listing magnesite as a strategic raw material in the EU would create jobs in rural areas and attract investment.
Symbolic conclusion
At the end of the visit, RHI Magnesita presented the Federal Chancellor with a magnesite cube engraved with ‘Magnesite – critical for Europe – Radenthein, 30 July 2025’. The cube symbolises the common goal of recognising magnesite as a strategic mineral on the EU list of raw materials – a step that the United Kingdom and Turkey have already taken.
