Europe's blueprint for harnessing lithium and uncommon rare earth elements to fuel its forthcoming energy era
New and Improved: Europe's Journey Towards Self-Sufficiency in Critical Raw Materials
Hey there! Let's dive into the Europe's mission to reduce its reliance on imported raw materials, focusing on the critical resources required for its green and digital transformation. We're going to the heart of the European Union, specifically the Czech Republic, home to one of the EU's 47 strategic projects, aimed at bolstering local resources.
Europe's wake-up call came with geopolitical conflicts, like the unrest in Ukraine, revealing the continent's vulnerability in relying on a single or few countries for essential resources. The EU realized the importance of diversifying its supply sources, much like its efforts to secure Russian gas.
The EU has recognized the need for critical raw materials, such as lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, and magnesium, for its Green Deal's climate-neutral goals, as well as the Digital transition, security and defense, and space and innovation industries.
The EU has identified 34 critical raw materials, including the aforementioned. However, many have high-risk supply chains, with 63% of the world's cobalt sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo and 100% of the rare earths used for permanent magnets refined in China.
In 2024, the EU passed the Critical Raw Materials Act, aiming to boost domestic strategic raw material capacity. The Act sets goals for EU production by 2030: mining 10% of annual EU needs, processing 40%, and recycling 25%. Not more than 65% of annual EU needs for each strategic raw material should come from a single third country.
The Ore Mountains, on the Czech-German border, have a rich history of mining, with tin and tungsten reserves exploited from the Middle Ages until the 1990s. With the energy transition, new possibilities emerge. One of these prospects lies beneath the Czech town of Cínovec, where lithium reserves are said to reside.
Geomet, a private firm with state participation, is working on establishing an eco-friendly production chain, a part of the 47 Strategic Projects chosen by the European Commission to bolster domestic strategic raw material capacity. "We're examining nearly 3 million tonnes of ore per year and will produce approximately 30,000 tonnes of commercial product annually," states Tomáš Vrbický, a Geomet geologist.
The company aims not just to mine ore but also to produce lithium carbonate, an essential ingredient for the battery industry. This is rare, as most companies rely on third countries for part of the process. However, challenges lie ahead, and this next-level involvement means increased costs.
How attainable are Europe's aspirations?
According to Starý Jaromír, Head of Department from the Czech Geological Survey, the EU's targets may not be feasible in such a short time frame. "Achieving these objectives is not realistic because some European Union critical raw materials are not found on the continent and are not yet mined," he says.
It's essential to consider the pollution accompanying mining activities, minimizable but not entirely avoidable. Europe faces the challenge of striking a balance between a less polluting, socially fair industry, and the higher costs this approach necessitates.
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LithiumEuropean PoliticsRaw MaterialMiningCzech Republic
- The European Union's aspiration to produce 10% of its annual needs for strategic raw materials like lithium by 2030, as stated in the Critical Raw Materials Act, seems challenging, given that some critical raw materials are not found on the European continent.
- In the pursuit of self-sufficiency in critical raw materials, Europe will have to navigate the balance between minimal environmental pollution from mining activities, social fairness, and the higher costs associated with eco-friendly production chains for products like lithium carbonate.
