Clean energy: States must work together on their mineral supply

Batirama.com 05 / 05 / 20210

States must consider and coordinate their supply of minerals and metals needed for the energy transition now if the world is to meet its climate targets.

"today the figures show an imminent gap between increased global climate ambitions and the availability of critical minerals that are essential to achieve these ambitions," warns IEA Director Fatih Birol.

"the challenge is not insurmountable, but (...) by acting now and in concert, governments can significantly reduce the risks of price volatility and supply disruption," he adds.

Electric cars, wind turbines and other storage units are greedy on certain metals: an electric car requires six times more than a thermal motor vehicle, a onshore wind site nine times more than a gas power plant of equivalent size, points out the IEA.

A six-fold increase in demand for minerals by 2040

By 2040, the overall energy demand for these minerals could increase sixfold. And as the prices of technologies fall, raw materials are expected to take an increasing share of their total value, making the industry all the more vulnerable to changes in the metal market.

In its report, the IEA examines several scenarios, depending on energy transition trajectories and technological developments. Low-carbon electricity generation could require three times as much of these metals by 2040, a demand driven by offshore wind turbines, the photovoltaic sector and the growth of grids (copper, aluminium).

As far as car batteries and storage units are concerned, we're talking about 30 times as many. While three-quarters of the supply of these minerals is concentrated in a handful of countries, including a significant share for China, the IEA makes a number of recommendations: notably that the world's states publish their long-term climate strategies, so that suppliers can invest enough in mining production.

International cooperation between producers and users should be strengthened, the recycling of these materials should be promoted, as should the environmental and social standards surrounding extraction, added the Paris-based Agency, which advises dozens of countries on energy matters.

Source: eprints.undip.ac.id