The World Bank recently published an excellent new report: “The Growing Role of Minerals and Metals for a Low-Carbon Future.” Perhaps not surprisingly, the report identifies a number of minor (or strategic) metals as destined to play leading roles in “green” energy technologies.
Taking energy storage batteries, together with solar and wind technologies, as proxies, cadmium, molybdenum, neodymium, and indium are just some of the metals the World Bank singles out. And these are quite apart from both lithium and cobalt.
The report notes, however, that since different technologies often use different metals, the extent of demand will also depend upon which technologies are successful in the market place. But demand there will certainly be.
Estimated Global Lithium Mine Production 2016
(Metric Tons Lithium Content)
Source: US Geological Survey
Note: Figures exclude U.S. production
About the Author:
Tom Butcher is an Associate Director at VanEck. Formerly an independent writer, researcher, and consultant focusing, amongst other things, on strategic materials, in particular metals, Mr Butcher has 38 years of experience in finance. He has lectured and spoken at conferences around the world. Amongst other things, he writes the “Letter from North America” in the Minor Metals Trade Association's publication The Crucible, and was lead author of the chapter on gallium in the British Geological Survey's “Critical Metals Handbook”.
The article above is an opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of MV Index Solutions or its affiliates.