24/7 Space News
TECH SPACE
Mineral-hungry clean tech sees countries seeking to escape China's shadow
Reuters Events SMR and Advanced Reactor 2025
Mineral-hungry clean tech sees countries seeking to escape China's shadow
By Nicolas GUBERT and Isabel MALSANG
Paris (AFP) Sept 28, 2023

With a clean energy transition hungry for more minerals, representatives from dozens of countries and industry met in Paris on Thursday looking to shore up deliveries against supply chain snarls and geopolitical tensions.

The International Energy Agency (IEA), which hosted the conference, has noted "spectacular" growth in renewable power and electric vehicles that is likely to cause fossil fuel demand to peak this decade -- and also see demand for critical minerals surge.

Copper is a crucial component for wind turbines, while electric car batteries need lithium, cobalt and nickel.

While these minerals are found across the world, the concentration of processing, particularly in China, has caused concerns over sustainability amid trade and geopolitical tensions.

IEA chief Fatih Birol told delegates the "major challenge" countries face is how to ensure more diverse supplies, with other major issues including sustainability -- both environmental and social -- and how to increase recycling.

And the world needs to move quickly, he said.

"Clean energy transitions are moving faster than many people realise," he said, adding that more than 80 percent of all new power plants built this year used renewable energy sources.

Delegates from more than 40 countries attended the meeting -- though China and Russia, another major producer, were absent -- looking to define a new metals diplomacy.

Debates centred on ways to reorganise the system, with memories of the breakdown in global supply chains during the Covid pandemic still fresh.

That and Russia's invasion of Ukraine wreaked havoc in commodity markets, with prices spiking in 2021 and early 2022, though they began to stabilise late last year, the IEA has said.

"We cannot replace the fossil fuel dependency with a raw material one," said Thierry Breton, commissioner for the EU's internal market, adding that the bloc was considering new legislation aimed at boosting mining and refining capacity.

The United States, which has pledged to be a clean energy leader with its climate and trade policies, also called for increased international cooperation.

- Resource race -

The IEA has flagged concerns that projects and processing are clustered in a small number of countries.

It says China processed 74 percent of the world's cobalt in 2022, 65 percent of lithium and 42 percent of copper.

In an interview with AFP earlier this month, Birol said this concentration was a key challenge.

"Which is not something against China, but if you put all the eggs in one basket it is really not a sustainable choice," he said.

Many mineral-rich countries such as Indonesia, Peru and the Democratic Republic of Congo have seen mining booms in recent years, with some aiming to pin their development on these resources.

Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resource Minister, Arifin Tasrif, also called for a new foundation for global cooperation on critical minerals, highlighting that recycling would also play a crucial role.

The IEA says the energy sector was the main factor behind a tripling in overall demand for lithium between 2017 and 2022, as well as a 70 percent jump in demand for cobalt and a 40 percent rise for nickel.

The IEA predicts that if countries increase their climate ambitions in line with its projections for the energy sector to decarbonise by mid-century, demand for critical minerals will grow by three-and-a-half times by 2030, exceeding 30 million tonnes.

im/klm/imm/js

Glencore

Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TECH SPACE
One-atom-thick ribbons could improve batteries, solar cells and sensors
London, UK (SPX) Sep 26, 2023
Researchers at UCL (University College London) have created one-atom-thick ribbons made of phosphorus alloyed with arsenic that could dramatically improve the efficiency of devices such as batteries, supercapacitors and solar cells. The research team discovered phosphorus nanoribbons in 2019. The "wonder material", predicted to revolutionise devices ranging from batteries to biomedical sensors, has since been used to increase lithium-ion battery lifetimes and solar cell efficiencies. However ... read more

TECH SPACE
Chinese universities climb up leading global ranking

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio returning to Earth after record 371 days in space

Kayhan Space Raises $7 million, Unveils First-Ever Autonomous Space Traffic Coordination Service

Two Russians, American reach space station

TECH SPACE
All engines added to NASA's Artemis II core stage

Historic NASA wind tunnel testing Mars Ascent Vehicle

Third Subscale Booster for future Artemis missions fires up at Marshall

'Anomaly' ends Rocket Lab launch mid-flight

TECH SPACE
Curiosity Needs an Altitude Adjustment: Sols 3955-3956

"Sombrero Rock": A Case of Case-Hardening?

Did life exist on Mars? Other planets? With AI's help, we may know soon

Big Fan of Rock Bands: Sols 3960-3961

TECH SPACE
Astronauts honored for contributions to China's space program

China capable of protecting astronauts from effects of space weightlessness

Tianzhou 5 spacecraft burns up on Earth reentry

Crew of Shenzhou XV mission honored for six-month space odyssey

TECH SPACE
Terran Orbital Announces Closing of $32.5 Million Public Offering

Iridium and McQ develop remote monitoring solution for Canadian Armed Forces in the Arctic

Terran Orbital announces pricing of Public Offering

Intelsat Inflight Connectivity expanded to all Airbus aircraft

TECH SPACE
Metal-loving microbes could replace chemical processing of rare earths

Material matters

Mineral-hungry clean tech sees countries seeking to escape China's shadow

Green issues dominate Paris fashion as green tech marketplace debuts

TECH SPACE
Study sheds new light on strange lava worlds

JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

Alien Machines in the Solar System: The Possibilities and Potential Origins

Possible hints of life found on distant planet - how excited should we be?

TECH SPACE
Webb finds carbon source on surface of Jupiter's moon Europa

Hidden ocean the source of CO2 on Jupiter moon

Juice: why's it taking sooo long

Possible existence of Earth-like planet predicted in Outskirts of Solar System

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.