Study quantifies metal supplies needed to reach EU's climate neutrality goal

TechXplore ^ | April 25, 2022 | by KU Leuven

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Meeting the European Union's Green Deal goal of climate neutrality by 2050 will require 35 times more lithium and 7 to 26 times the amount of increasingly scarce rare earth metals compared to Europe's limited use today, according to a study from Belgian university KU Leuven.

The independent KU Leuven study is the first to offer EU-specific numbers related to the International Energy Agency's warning in 2021 of looming supply challenges for the enabling metals needed to help end fossil fuels.

The study says that by 2050, Europe's plans for producing clean energy technologies will require annually:

4.5 million tons of aluminum (an increase of 33% compared to today's use)

1.5 million tons of copper (35%)

800,000 tons of lithium (3,500%)

400,000 tons of nickel (100%)

300,000 tons of zinc (10 to 15%)

200,000 tons of silicon (45%)

60,000 tons of cobalt (330%)

and 3,000 tons of the rare earth metals neodymium, dysprosium and praseodymium (700-2,600%)

"Although the EU has committed to accelerate its energy transition and produce a great deal of its clean energy technologies domestically, it remains import dependent for much of the metal needed," the study says. "And there is growing concern about the security of supply."

Liesbet Gregoir, lead author, commented: "Europe needs to decide urgently how it will bridge its looming supply gap for primary metals. Without a decisive strategy, it risks new dependencies on unsustainable suppliers."

Coal-powered Chinese and Indonesian metal production will dominate global refining capacity growth for battery metals and rare earths. Europe also relies on Russia for its current supply of aluminum, nickel and copper.

The study recommends that Europe link with proven responsible suppliers managing their environmental and social risks, questioning why the bloc has not yet followed other global powers like China in investing into external mines.

[Paladin2]

The EU should be getting NO Lithium based products until they start producing their own Lithum.

It’s all about “Sustainability”.

[technically right]

It would appear that the West’s strategy is Ready, Fire, Aim.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

It is good that they looked at metals requirements and found them to be so ridiculously high.

Too bad they didn’t do a comprehensive review of all the other more mundane inputs to “green” energy solutions that must be accounted for. Windmills require huge amounts of steel, fiberglass, and concrete needed to support windmills. Calcining limestone to make concrete requires a HUGE amount fossil fuel and emits a lot of CO2. The report also ignores the enormous land areas needed because of the low energy density of sun and wind as well as the horrible kills of millions of birds.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Tell It Right]

Agreed. There is no such thing as "climate neutrality".

Instead of trying to be fossil fuel independent we should all try to be independent of government. Unfortunately, government controls our access to fossil fuels. That's why I went solar last year and I'm in the process of adding more. It's not as good as fossil fuels, but at least it's an energy source I control and not the government.