Lithium demand in Europe will multiply by 15 times this decade. Cobalt and Graphite by almost 5. Nickel will double. A Mining Project takes from 5 to 10 years to be developed and operational, and Europe wants to become more self-sufficient in Raw Materials. How can we make all these figures match?
On the other side, investing in the bottleneck link of a value chain means a better chance for good returns. Battery Raw Materials Prices can further incentivise the opportunity, yet remain volatile. Governments are waking up to the criticality for their industry while some automotive OEMs have started taking positions upstream in order to secure their own infeed.. Is enough being done to de-risk supply to ensure industries dependant on raw materials are secure and investment attractive enough to catalyse it?
A Challenge? An Opportunity? Europe wants to foster the Extraction and Refining of the Critical Raw Materials Industry, and is developing regulation to do so. The EU wants to attract entrepreneurs and capital in order to put in value its own natural resources. But it also wants to do it with the most demanding ESG criteria. How will this be achieved?
To discuss this topic, we are going to have the views of all parties involved: Peter Handley, from the European Commission, Franz Geyer, from BMW, and Keith Coughlan, from European Metals Holdings, a lithium extraction project being developed in the Czech Republic.
Learning Objectives:
- Investment in Mining for Raw Materials for the Energy Transition can be compatible with ESG investment requirements.
- Political Support in Europe for Critical and Strategic Raw Materials Extraction and Refining is growing.
- Strong returns can be made by investing in mining, alongside ensuring security of supply.
- Forecasts are signalling strong demand growth, which will continue to incentivise activity.
