From lithium to rare earths: Europe’s strategy to power its future energy

Geopolitical tensions and conflicts, specified arsenic those successful Ukraine, made nan EU realise really susceptible it is successful relying connected conscionable 1 aliases moreover a fewer countries for cardinal resources. 

As was nan lawsuit pinch Russian gas, nan aforesaid logic applies to these alleged captious materials, earthy resources that are basal to nan economy.

The EU now wants to beryllium much self-sufficient, boosting its home earthy worldly capacity and diversifying proviso sources. But really and astatine what price? That’s nan attraction of this section of Europeans’ Stories. 

The European Union needs captious earthy materials for its Green Deal ambiance neutral goals – the Digital transition, information and defence, and abstraction and invention industries.

The EU has identified 34 captious earthy materials, including lithium, cobalt, uncommon world elements and magnesium. 

But galore person high-risk proviso chains. For example, 63% of nan world’s cobalt is mined successful nan Democratic Republic of Congo and 100% of nan uncommon earths utilized for imperishable magnets are refined successful China.  

In 2024, nan EU passed nan Critical Raw Materials Act to boost home strategical earthy worldly capacity. 

The Act says that by 2030 Europe must excavation 10% of yearly EU needs, process 40% and recycle 25%. No much than 65% of yearly EU needs for each strategical earthy worldly should travel from a azygous 3rd country.

Mining is profoundly embedded successful nan history of nan Ore Mountains, stretching on nan Czech-German border. Here, tin and tungsten reserves were exploited from nan Middle Ages done to nan 1990s, erstwhile they became unprofitable. Today, only a depository remains, but nan power modulation is opening up caller possibilities.

Lithium is simply a important constituent for artillery production, and experts estimate that betwixt 3 and 5 percent of nan world’s lithium reserves tin beryllium recovered nether nan Czech municipality of Cínovec. 

Geomet, a backstage institution pinch authorities participation, is moving to create what it says will beryllium an environmentally friends accumulation chain. It’s 1 of nan 47 Strategic Projects selected by nan European Commission to boost home strategical earthy worldly capacity. 

“We’re going to excavation almost 3 million tonnes of nan ore per twelvemonth and we will nutrient astir 30,000 tonnes of last merchandise per year,” says Tomáš Vrbický, a geologist who useful for Geomet. 

The institution plans to not conscionable excavation nan ore but besides to nutrient lithium carbonate, a cardinal constituent utilized successful nan artillery industry. It’s uncommon for a institution to finalise nan full process internally, without resorting to 3rd countries. But location will beryllium galore challenges and it’ll costs more. 

How realistic are Europe’s plans?

By 2030 Europe intends to excavation 10% of its yearly needs, process 40% and recycle 25%. 

Starý Jaromír, Head of Department from nan Czech Geological Survey, doubts these targets could beryllium met successful specified a short time. 

“This nonsubjective is not realistic, because immoderate of nan European Union’s captious earthy materials are not recovered connected nan European continent and are not presently mined. At coming it is intolerable to opportunity that immoderate of nan captious earthy materials will beryllium handled successful quantities of up to 10% of European consumption.” 

When asked if nan request for captious earthy materials is making Europe hide nan contamination that comes pinch mining, geologist Gabriel Zbyněk from nan Czech Geological Survey replied that mining methods, arsenic good arsenic European legislation, person progressed concerning really mining is supervised and controlled today, and adds: “In nan EU we really request these earthy materials. And it’s astir apt a small hypocritical to opportunity we don’t request immoderate mining here, and if it’s going to beryllium mined anyplace other successful nan world and successful a measurement we don’t attraction about. Especially erstwhile it’s not ‘in our backyard’”.

All mineral extraction involves a grade of pollution. It whitethorn not beryllium wholly avoidable, but it tin beryllium minimised. Europe’s situation is uncovering nan correct equilibrium betwixt nan request for a little polluting and socially adjacent industry, and nan higher costs that this entails.