Goal
We're aiming to unlock the full economic potential of Australia's energy metals
The Critical energy metals mission in development aims to create more economic value from the energy transition by transforming our mineral resources into higher-value products and creating new manufacturing jobs and export-ready technologies.
Opportunity
Unlocking the full economic potential of our energy metals by creating and demonstrating the breakthrough technologies
The global energy transition will depend on the sustainable supply of dozens of metals and related minerals. A recent World Bank analysis revealed how annual demand for lithium and graphite—critical battery elements—could increase by as much as 500% by 2050.
Australia is well positioned to capitalise on this surging demand given our strong resource base. But we can realise even greater economic benefits through sustainably producing refined metals, pre-cursor chemicals, alloys and high-end engineered products.
This mission will seek to unlock the full economic potential of our energy metals by creating and demonstrating the breakthrough technologies that allow those outcomes. In the process, we will help establish new, resilient, and sustainable processing and manufacturing industries and high-technology jobs.
We are collaborating with the Critical Minerals Facilitation Office on an Australian Critical Energy Metals roadmap; supporting the Australian Critical Minerals Strategy to catalyse innovation and to guide Mission priorities in terms of technology investments and collaborations.
Potential impact
Establishing new, resilient, and sustainable processing and manufacturing industries and high-technology jobs
- New high-technology jobs and industries
- Technology and intellectual property exports
- Lower environmental footprint of energy minerals and metals going into new energy technologies making them more sustainable
- Supply chain sovereignty and resilience
- Ethical provenance of metals for energy technologies
Proposed focus
Finding Australia's advantage
- Strategic analysis
- Advanced processes
- Alternatives including recycling
Plan
Identifying the best economic opportunities for Australia
The mission in development is currently focused on identifying the best economic opportunities for Australia by analysing technology trends against our own competitive advantages.
With a robust strategy in hand, then we will then seek to partner and attract investment into applied research, demonstrations and scale-up of advanced processing and manufacturing technologies.
In the mid-term (5 years) we will plan to concentrate on transitioning these new technologies into industrial settings to underpin the establishment of new industries.
Collaboration
Working together to unlock Australia's critical metals opportunities
We invite you to join the initial alliance of:
- Critical Minerals Facilitation Office
If you are interested in learning more or collaborating with us, please contact Jerad Ford.