Critical minerals
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EU’s new Net Zero Industry & Critical Raw Materials Acts dramatically escalate pressure on Australia to seize once-in-a-century cleantech opportunity
The global race to decarbonisation massively escalated overnight with new regulations designed to turbocharge and onshore cleantech in the EU, following the US’s game-changing Inflation Reduction Act, which is spearheading the energy revolution there. The challenge is now on for Australia to accelerate investment and leverage its competitive advantages as a value-adding energy transition materials and renewables superpower – or miss the boat. Read more
Finding Australia’s place in the global geopolitical contest on energy and supply chain security
This week saw Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers make the call to back the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) recommendation to reject a Chinese-linked fund’s increased equity stake in an emerging Australian critical minerals developer, Northern Minerals, which is set to mine the rare earth dysprosium, used as an additive in neodymium magnets for electric vehicle motors. We look at the geopolitical implications of this move in the context of China’s global dominance on all things decarbonisation and responses by our trading partners. Read more
REPORT | A Critical Minerals Value-Adding Superpower
CEF’s new report is the first to comprehensively map Australia’s ‘once in a century’ opportunity to lead the world in value-added energy transition materials, including critical minerals, by processing, refining and manufacturing onhsore pre-export using our abundant renewable energy – a multi-hundred-billion dollar investment and export opportunity as the world rapidly decarbonises. The leading investment bank expects the “trilemma” of energy security, sustainability and affordability to remain in focus in 2023. Read more
SUBMISSION | CEF’s submission to the federal consultation on a national critical minerals strategy
CEF’s comprehensive summation of the critical minerals opportunity for Australia including a response to the federal consultation’s Terms of Reference and key policy recommendations. Read more
ANALYSIS | Embodied decarbonisation: How critical minerals, mining and manufacturing majors are transitioning to clean energy
Paper # 9 in CEF’s critical minerals series: Our nation’s massive firmed RE and critical minerals comparative advantages provide a once in a century opportunity for Australia to become a global leader in decarbonised heavy industry. In the latest instalment in our series on critical minerals and new economy metals and manufacture, we review the efforts of Australian mining and refining, energy and manufacturing companies in decarbonising their operations by shifting to renewables. Read more
CEF NEWS UPDATE | Hope restored as clean energy momentum escalates – our 2022 wrap
Our wrap of the top ten energy events in 2022, including the end of federal climate and energy policy chaos under the LNP, and our wishlist for an even better 2023! Read more
ANALYSIS | The Inflation Reduction Act is Spurring a Tsunami of Inbound US Investment
Paper #8 in our critical minerals series. The US$369bn IRA signed into law this year is the single biggest climate commitment in US history, and is triggering a monumental inflow of green capital which is transforming the US energy and economic landscape. CEF’s Tim Buckley and Matt Pollard take a close look at the deal book and policy context. Read more
CEF NEWS UPDATE | Energy price relief plan for Aus as US Climate Bills triggers tsunami of green capital
We wrap the news of the week including the energy price relief plan, the energy ministers’s agreement on a capacity investment mechanism that will trigger investment into firmed renewables, and we take a look at the tsunami of green capital inflow to the US off the back of its Inflation Reduction Act (aka Climate Bill). Read more
ANALYSIS | Globalisation: the expansion of future facing mineral companies beyond Australia
In paper #7 of CEF’s series on value adding critical minerals, Tim Buckley and Matt Pollard look at Australian companies expanding their operations beyond Australia’s borders with key international projects. Read more
ANALYSIS | State and federal support key to Australia becoming a critical minerals super power
In #6 in CEF’s series on critical minerals, Matt Pollard and Tim Buckley review key Australian public financial capital initiatives and their role in accelerating Australia’s critical mineral supply chain value-adding projects, with a focus on key examples. Read more
PRESENTATION | Energy Transition: Lithium, rare earths and other minerals – mining and value adding in Australia
Tim Buckley addresses Engineers Australia on the emerging critical minerals mining and refining boom in the context of the accelerating global energy transition. Read more
ANALYSIS | Australia’s mammoth renewable minerals opportunity – and how to harness it
As Tim Buckley and Matt Pollard discuss below in paper #5 in CEF’s series on critical minerals, Australia’s allies have demonstrated the growing use of federal support in accelerating private capital inflows to scale and diversify their supply chains around critical minerals, as Australia steps up to the opportunity via its new National Critical Minerals Strategy. Read more