MacMusic  |  PcMusic  |  440 Software  |  440 Forums  |  440TV  |  Zicos
countries
Search

Countries Form New NATO-Like 'Mineral Security' Alliance to Ensure EV Supplies

Saturday July 2, 2022. 09:34 PM , from Slashdot
'A metallic NATO is starting to take shape,' writes the senior metals columnist at Reuters, 'though no-one is calling it that just yet.'

The Minerals Security Partnership is in theory open to all countries that are committed to 'responsible critical mineral supply chains to support economic prosperity and climate objectives'. But the coalition assembled by the United States is one of like-minded countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany with an Asian axis in the form of Japan and South Korea. [Also the European Commission, as well as Finland and Sweden.]

It is defined as much as anything by who is not on the invite list — China and Russia.

China's dominance of key enabling minerals such as lithium and rare earths is the single biggest reason why Western countries are looking to build their own supply chains. Russia, a major producer of nickel, aluminium and platinum group metals, is now also a highly problematic trading partner as its war in Ukraine that the Kremlin calls a 'special military operation' grinds on. A previously highly globalised minerals supply network looks set to split into politically polarised spheres of influence, a tectonic realignment with far-reaching implications. The United States and Europe have realised that they can't build out purely domestic supply chains quickly enough to meet demand from the electric vehicle transition....

The process was already well underway before the U.S. State Department announced the formation of the Minerals Security Partnership on June 14. U.S. and Canadian officials have been working closely as Canada fleshes out a promised C$3.8 billion ($3.02 billion) package to boost production of lithium, copper and other strategic minerals. European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic has just been in Norway to seal 'a strategic partnership' on battery technologies and critical raw materials.

The article points out America's Department of Defense is already investing $120 million in a new plant for heavy rare earths separation — and has chosen an Australian company as its partner.
Shortly thereafter the Defense Department noted an online disinformation campaign against its new partner (according to U.S.-based cybersecurity firm Mandiant), disinformation which Reuters describes as 'a pro-China propaganda campaign' using fake social media accounts to try to stir up opposition.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.
https://news.slashdot.org/story/22/07/02/0238247/countries-form-new-nato-like-mineral-security-allia...
News copyright owned by their original publishers | Copyright © 2004 - 2024 Zicos / 440Network
Current Date
Mar, Fri 29 - 02:33 CET