IMARC 2023: Australia poised to take global lead in critical minerals
The scene is set for this year’s International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Sydney next week with the announcement by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to increase the investment in the Critical Minerals Fund.
In order to maintain Australia’s status as a global leader in vital minerals, the AU$4 billion plan intends to increase the nation’s production and processing of these minerals.
According to Mr. Albanese, Australia’s abundant reserves of vital minerals put it in a great position to support the worldwide transition to net-zero.
“Australia is dedicated to establishing safe and secure vital mineral supply chains with the United States.” This is essential to achieving both economic growth and a future powered by renewable energy. Mr. Albanese stated, “The extension of the Critical Minerals Facility will support our shared goals in manufacturing, defense, and clean energy while also assisting in the development of supply chains with the United States.
The path to net-zero, according to Australia’s Minister of Resources Madeleine King, passes through the country’s resource sector.
“A cornerstone of support, the Critical Minerals Facility provides financing to strategically significant projects which can attract private investment,” Ms. King continued.
“We are well-positioned to be a world-leading provider of critical minerals, including rare earth elements, and to support global efforts on clean energy transformation, especially when combined with our support for processing.”
Graphite, cobalt, nickel, lithium, and other rare minerals are among the rich reserves of rare minerals found in Australia, which is lucky to have some of the world’s largest exploitable critical mineral deposits.
But unlike coal and iron ore, these vital minerals are also found in a lot of other places, so Australia’s historical competitive advantage is harder to maintain.
With its vast quantities of rare earth minerals, Australia has the potential to become a vital mineral powerhouse, and efforts are being made to realise this promise as the world rushes to secure these future resources.
Crucial minerals are essential components of solar panels, batteries, medical equipment, and telecommunications technologies, and they are important to the worldwide clean energy economy. Fortunately, Australia is in a good position to provide the increasing need for minerals that are responsibly produced.
In spite of Australia’s dominant position in the critical mineral market, there is still much catching up to do in order to satisfy the strains of global demand, according to Roland Hill of FYI Resources, a leader in producing high critical minerals for the electric vehicle and high-tech appliance industries.
With some of the highest lithium production, Australia is presumably punching above its weight in terms of supply. But, Australia has been somewhat caught off guard in terms of being ready to deal with the shortage of vital mineral supply, much like the rest of the world. As with traditional resources, we have a long way to go before we can claim to be global leaders in key minerals, according to Mr. Hill.
