Bulk Industries, Mining and Heavy Industries

Critical minerals in the spotlight

Global demand for lithium and other critical minerals is expected to rise. Image: Masmikha/Shutterstick.com

A new list has revealed the key critical minerals for the UK to highlight their importance to the region’s economy.

The UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC) has revealed its latest list of critical minerals to help support future policy around the UK economy.

The latest assessment was commissioned by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) as part of CMIC’s programme for 2024. CMIC is led by the British Geological Society (BGS) and released a criticality assessment in 2021, but the 2024 one was larger in scale.

“This assessment confirms that the growing diversification of the UK economy — alongside the expanding reliance on global trade — brings an increasing vulnerability in terms of disruption to the supply of critical minerals,” said Dr Gavin Mudd, director of the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre.

“There are similarities to other criticality assessment lists across the world, but the demands and challenges facing the UK economy are dynamic, and we need to match the demand for minerals with sustainable and reliable supply.

“In particular, as the UK continues its efforts in decarbonisation of its economy, we are seeing significant shifts in numerous minerals as coal-fired power has now been closed and new technologies are being used. This brings both benefits and risks to the UK.”

Copper was not included as a critical mineral by the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre. Image: Image: Phawat/Shutterstock.com
Copper was not included as a critical mineral by the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre. Image: Image: Phawat/Shutterstock.com

The new assessment is expected to have some influence on policy in the years to come. Sarah Jones, who is responsible for the industry portfolio in the UK, welcomed the findings.

“[It] which shows a sustainable supply of critical minerals will be more vital than ever,” she said.

“That’s why next year we’ll launch a new Critical Minerals Strategy to help secure our supply chains for the long term and drive forward the green industries of the future.”

In 2021, the assessment looked at 26 candidate materials, with 18 listed as critical, compared to 34 minerals out of 82 candidate materials this year. Compared to the 2021 assessment, 17 of the 18 critical materials have remained on the 2024 assessment, with only palladium dropping out.

The assessment used data from various sources and also considered diplomatic efforts to secure trade relationships for the material, investment in exploration, mining and processing and the pursuit of alternative materials.

CMIC’s criticality assessment lists the ten most critical materials out of the 34: Niobium, Cobalt, Rare earth elements, Germanium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Ruthenium, Tungsten, Gallium and Rhodium.

Other materials within the criticality threshold include lithium, platinum, tin, nickel and iron. Others, including silica industrial sand, kaolin clay and copper, have been listed under the criticality threshold. Nickel, iron, germanium, aluminium and chromium are notable additions to the 2024 list after not featuring in 2021.

Being listed as a critical mineral, as opposed to essential or important, is designed to highlight the risk of supply disruption for the materials, which could create a headache for the UK economy. For example, if the next criticality assessment were shorter than the 2024 iteration, it would highlight that the UK has mediated several concerns around the supply risk for some critical minerals.

According to the report, the UK relies on international supply for most of the 82 materials assessed, with 49 of those provided primarily through importing.

Cobalt is used in the manufacturing process for electric car battery packs. Image: IM Imagery/Shutterstock.com
Cobalt is used in the manufacturing process for electric car battery packs. Image: IM Imagery/Shutterstock.com

These materials are used in many of the emerging technologies of the future. Cobalt plays a key role in the manufacturing process for rechargeable batteries, which are used in hybrid and electric vehicles.  Germanium is used to create optical fibres, infrared optics and solid-state electronics.

Others, including tungsten and niobium, are used to create tools and equipment. Due to its properties, tungsten is used in cutting tools for drill bits, defence equipment, and superalloys. Niobium is also used to create superalloys, which produce high-strength steel used in vehicle body manufacturing.

Certain materials, namely lithium, are expected to be subject to significant growth in global demand. Recent data, including the criticality survey, expect the mineral to increase more than tenfold by 2050

In his discussion of the findings from the 2024 assessment, Mudd believed the non-inclusion of copper in the list would be the “focus of much attention”.

“In similar lists focused on economies across the EU, Japan, India, China, Canada and now the USA, copper is identified as critical. Under the methodology within our report, the material did not meet the necessary threshold, as with Australia’s latest assessment,” he said.

“Based on the scientific data used in our report, copper is not critical. Through available data, projections of refined copper production can be judged likely to meet copper demand for the relevant policies and announced pledges scenarios.

“This assessment recognises that concerns around the capacity to increase global copper mine supply may lead to an increased global supply risk and, in turn, result in copper becoming critical in the future. When the data shows this point is reached, such assessments will reflect it.”

Mudd said he hoped the release of the new criticality assessment would help support policymaking in the future.

“This assessment is intended to stimulate discussion and allow us as a country to continue to plan effectively for the future of our economy and its place within an increasingly sophisticated and interconnected global supply chain,” he said.

“That discussion should be vigorous and impassioned; disagreement is an inevitable outcome. I look forward to taking part in such conversations.”

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