How Can Europe Reduce Offshore Dependence of Its Supply Chain for Critical Metals like Scandium, Niobium, Strontium, Magnesium, and Titanium?

Europe uses around 25% of the world metal production, including critical metals like Mg, Ti, Nb, REEs, and Sc. However, just around 2–3% of the world metal production is actually manufactured in Europe, resulting in a huge imbalance. Critical metals are indispensable in the green transition for producing renewable energyRenewable energy. Metals are not only needed in products like wind turbines, solar panels, electric cars or hydrogenHydrogen technology, they are needed too in the expansion of the electric grid. Basic metals like aluminiumAluminium and copperCopper are needed to double the grid in the next 10 years in order to coop with the enormous growth of renewable electric energyEnergy. The Green transition requires more critical metals like Li, Mo, Nb, V, Sr, Si, Ti, Mg, REE’s, and Sc. Most of these critical metals (Mg, Nb, Sc, Sr, and Ti) are not at all produced in Europe and have to be imported for 100%. The dependence on imports can lead to supply disruptions and lead to unacceptable high prices. New sustainable mines are needed for the long term to solve the metal supply imbalance. Another option for Europe is to focus more on Industrial Symbiosis (IS) projects. In an Industrial Symbiosis project, waste streams from one industry are used as a feedstock for other industries. EU MagnesiumMagnesium, ScaVanger, Scale-up, and Valore are examples of EU-funded Industrial Symbiosis projects. However, developing new mines and starting new IS projects in Europe will not solve the huge imbalance of metals in Europe in the short term. To avoid future supply disruptions, like the 2021 Mg crisis, Europe needs to set up a EuropeanEuropean organised stockpile organisation for critical metals like Sc, Sr, Nb, Mg, and Ti.