Critical Minerals
European mining eyes uncertain future
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has provided Europe with the opportunity to conduct a much needed re-appraisal of its raw materials…
Zimbabwe joins the wave of resource nationalism
In December 2022, Zimbabwe banned raw lithium ore exports to minimise the economic potential of artisanal mining and encourage investments…
Cleantech manufacturing could triple to $650bn by 2030 – IEA
The global market for mass-manufactured clean energy technologies will be worth around $650bn a year by 2030 – more than…
Why critical minerals won’t hamper the green hydrogen revolution
With every year that passes, the hype around green hydrogen builds. Many analysts are now convinced that the gas is…
Why has Canada banned Chinese mining investments?
Canada has become the latest country to announce protectionist measures to block ownership by Chinese companies of local companies. On…
Opinion: The Western world must end China’s stranglehold of rare earths
Europe has made itself vulnerable to natural resource blackmail by becoming so dependent on a dictatorship; in this case, natural…
Aluminium production is critical for the energy transition but hamstrung by high electricity costs
The energy transition is driving a huge surge in demand for aluminium, but the industry is facing huge capacity constraints…
Opinion: Energy transition could destroy Africa’s forests and carbon sinks
It is the greatest paradox of our age: in attempting to solve the problem of climate change, we are turning…
How the energy transition was used as justification to continue mining during the pandemic
While most industries experienced shutdowns during the pandemic, the mining industry was, apart from some brief pauses, deemed essential in…
Inflation bites at the battery storage bonanza
Billions of dollars are flowing into battery storage, a technology critical to the clean energy transition. Whether to help balance…