by Dr. Tzeferis P.
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Open in new tab The Energy Transition to a low-carbon future is moving at an extraordinary pace demanding an uninterrupted supply of critical raw materials (CRMs) and energy transition metals (ETMs) to consolidate European industrial future infrastructure targeting 2030 and 2050 claims.
What should EU do? Given this fact, we need a fast process of bringing mature CRM projects from European sources into a step up investment perspective.
The involvement of European Industry investment, private investors, financial institutions and public funding are crucial key elements for the promotion of domestic capacity of European industry and the increase in production of selected key raw materials originating from European territory.
In order to develop European Key Raw Materials, we need first to emphasize on the following actions:
- Re-evaluate European resources on primary CRMs (in both onshore and offshore domains) with a focus on CRMs suitable for EnergyTransition.
- Evaluate secondary CRM resources, through updating information on mining wastes and pilot studies to assess economic potential of CRM recovery.
We strongly believe that financing possibility through an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) in raw materials sector can act as booster seeking domestic primary and secondary raw materials production.
A second very serious aspect about RM sector objectives towards Energy Transition is the following:
The energy transition needs metals. But it needs social awareness too. We need to focus on actions to enhance the acceptability of extractive projects in Europe.
I believe that a re-organization of the metal supply chain and developing better connections between society and the minerals/metals it uses can more quickly lead to sustainable and responsible metal supply. The first step is to unwrap the mineral resources industry to make it more transparent, visible and available to anyone. Furthermore, we need to fully implement the “Social License to Operate” (SLO) which is a social consent passport that has to go beyond meeting all the legal regulations. The key action is to capture and incorporate the values, aspirations, and vision of the communities involved while at the same time encourage and develop a diversified economic base for long term prosperity.
New mining activity cannot be implemented by force. On the other hand, effective local community management happens by design. The key action is to actively engage local communities into all stages of the raw materials extraction project starting from exploration to the post closure phase.
Moreover, the improvement in social acceptance for the mineral industry can be enhanced by:
- further development of technological, organizational and scientific methods which minimize mining influences on the environment and society developing.
- strategies of bilateral communication, mediation/negotiation, cooperation between stakeholders to a larger extent than in the past.
What about the Greek Mining/Metallurgical Industry (GMMI)?
The Greek Mining/Metallurgical Industry (GMMI) is a dynamic and traditionally an extrovert sector:
- Accounts for almost 3% of the Greek GDP
- Comprises of more than 25 large mining companies that are active in Greece and abroad
- Extracts over 30 different minerals, 10 of which in quantities larger than 300,000 tons per year
- Generates a total value of €2 billion annually, roughly 50% of which is exported
- Constitutes almost 5% of total Greek exports
- Employs directly roughly 20,000 individuals and indirectly 80,000 individuals
Greece has a strong comparative MRM advantage over other EU countries with obvious benefits for the national economy. However, GMMI sectors has been hindered by several shortcomings:
- Lack of comprehensive land use planning and particularities of the Greek system reflecting in the permitting procedure
- Social resistance towards new mining projects for fear of bad environmental practices or practices that impose risk to monuments of cultural heritage
- Absence of thorough knowledge and understanding of the potential of mineral resources, especially the CRM’s. We need projects to get to know more of this potential focusing both on primary and secondary CRM resources with a focus on CRMs suitable for EnergyTransition.
A message for 2022: The energy transition needs metals. But it needs social awareness too!