Global demand for minerals such as nickel, lithium and cobalt is expected to soar in the coming decades, Reuters reported Thursday. These minerals are key ingredients in making batteries, electric cars, wind turbines and solar panels, and are used in a wide range of products, from computers to other household appliances. The United States will need large quantities of these key minerals to meet its emissions reduction goals, and "will need six times as much lithium by 2050 as it does today to meet its clean energy goals," said Eric Fernandez, under secretary of State for Economic growth, energy and environment affairs.
As a result, the U.S. government has been aggressively implementing measures in recent years to strengthen its control over the supply chain of green minerals such as nickel, lithium and cobalt. Especially under the impact of COVID-19, the risk of disruption of key mineral supply chain is further increased. Biden government lifted up "to rebuild a better future" banner, focusing on the domestic clean energy revolution and power competition, will trump period of supply chain security strategy to further forward, and highlight the green supply chain strategic mineral resources and strengthen the cooperation with Allies and partners, a leading by the United States "alliance for a green supply chain" of be vividly portrayed.
Biden government thinks green strategic mineral resources is the material basis of global energy transformation, the traditional competition for resources are mainly concentrated in the field of fossil energy, and the future competition will be more focused on key strategic mineral area, the relationship between the emerging energy technologies and key mineral will become the strategic resource planning is a basic element.
The new generation of green and low-carbon resource technology revolution represented by the transition from fossil energy to renewable energy, such as batteries, robotics and artificial intelligence systems, is highly dependent on strategic mineral resources such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth. Mineral in the supply chain, however, the key fundamental lack of mineral resources, the overall competitiveness is not strong, difficult to support strong green low carbon economic development, the clean energy revolution in the solar photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and electric car battery production relies heavily on rare earths, gallium and indium, but the United States of rare earth, germanium external dependence of 80% or more, Most of the lithium, cobalt and manganese used in lithium-ion batteries come from China and Australia.
As the Biden administration vigorously promotes the Green New Deal and develops new energy vehicles, energy storage, wind power, photovoltaic and other related industries, the vulnerability of the United States to heavy dependence on foreign countries in key mineral resources such as rare earth, lithium, platinum, zinc, nickel, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium and graphite is further highlighted.
