Critical minerals will underpin the global clean energy transition, but the threat of constraints on supply is forcing investment and research into new and alternative forms of extraction.
With the US floating a multi-billion dollar deal to gain access to Ukraine’s precious mined resources – an agreement that may help advance the end of Russia’s war – the strategic global importance of critical minerals has arguably never been more clearly demonstrated.
Critical minerals – a set of metals and other raw materials needed for the production of various high-tech products (see What are critical minerals?) – are particularly important for the green energy transition as nations retool to tackle climate breakdown and move away from fossil fuels.
Elements including copper, cobalt, lithium and nickel are needed in the electrification of power networks, industry and transport, and required for the manufacture of wind turbines, solar panels and batteries for grid storage and electric vehicles (EVs...