Page 96 - Impiantitica industriale

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Where’s your

Lithium from?

David Thorpe, writer The commission has launched a new in-
EU’s new Green Deal dustry alliance aimed at building a com-
to track critical materials enewable electricity gene- plete EU supply chain for such raw mate-
rials, which are vital to renewable energy,
ration and storage requires electric vehicles and the circular economy.
huge quantities of mined raw This will “increase EU resilience in the rare
materials. In Europe, most of earth and magnet value chains”, it says.
these elements are currently
Rimported and unsustainably The new policies are connected to the Eu-
produced. So the European Commission ropean Green Deal and the Just Transition
has hatched a new plan for obtaining them Fund, which have been strengthened by
within its borders, to make the industry their important relevance to the bloc’s post
more sustainable and resilient against out- pandemic economic recovery program.
side disruptions. There will be an industry-driven process
led by EIT Raw Materials (funded by the
The EU Commission has European Institute of Innovation and
launched a new industry Technology ), whose task will be to identify
opportunities and barriers and to create
“alliance aimed at building relevant investment cases with stakehol-
a complete EU supply ders and industry partners.
chain for raw materials
vital to renewable energy, Ending dependence
electric vehicles and the Currently, the EU is heavily reliant on other
countries, being dangerously dependent
circular economy for 98 per cent of its rare earth elements

90 Impiantistica Italiana - Marzo-Aprile 2021