The race for rare raw materials begins. the minister Adolfo Urso He has clear ideas and an ambitious goal to achieve. The objective is to defend and support strategic industrial supply chains. Supply chains that “feed” on precious minerals and absolutely need secure supplies. For this reason, to reduce dependence on foreign countries or, worse still, blackmail from supplier countries, the head of the Business and Made in Italy Department has a relaunch plan in mind mines scattered throughout the national territory. Urso, who had advanced this initiative to Il Messaggero, did not mince words and, apart from the presentation in Rome of Luiss’s new “think tank” on European issues, called for the reopening of the mining deposits as soon as possible. “I think – he said – that by the end of the year, the whole panorama will be clear: the European legislation, the Italian one and the potential of our territory”. An objectively not easy path, but fundamental in the global competitive challenge.
Pnrr, agreement between Italy and the EU: change of objectives, Minister Fitto: “Without delay: we are ahead of the others”
THE STEPS
To unblock the situation – and the minister made it clear – the approval of the EU Commission is firstly needed, which must define the normative coordinates and overcome the obviously national bureaucratic subtleties that lengthen authorization times and prevent delving into the deposits. Many sites are in protected areas, others on the edge of protected areas and a clear picture is needed to start production.
Urso, who recently met with the finance ministers of Germany and France, believes that the European Sovereign Fund must give the right push, precisely in order to free Europe from external supplies, particularly from Asia.
THE MAP
“Probably – argues the minister – the legislative process in Europe on critical raw materials will be completed in 2023, with the approval by the Trilogue of a regulation that the Commission has presented to us. And we in Italy meanwhile will have completed our own process of legislative reform, to allow those who want to operate to do so in a context of certainty. For this reason, together with the Minister of the Environment, Pichetto Fratin, we are already updating the mining maps of the country”. It must be said that Brussels has already defined 34 critical raw materials, of which 16 are also considered strategic due to their relevance in the ecological and digital transition, intended for the aerospace and defense industry, for the production of electric batteries and solar panels. In Italy -explained Urso- “we have 16 of these 34 critical raw materials that are found in mines that closed 30 years ago.”
As is known, Italy has deposits of cobalt, nickel, copper and silver in Piedmont, of rare earths in Sardinia, of lithium in Lazio and it has abundant mining waste for 70 million cubic meters accumulated in past decades and now usable with current technologies. . In short, all the conditions are in place to open a new stage.
We are in the phases that recall the gold rush of the 19th century – Urso stigmatized again – given that estimates indicate that in 2050 the demand for lithium for batteries will increase 89 times, the demand for rare earths will grow 6-7 times, that of gallium by 17 times. Now, the European Union buys 97% of the magnesium and 63% of the cobalt used in batteries across the border.
THE OBJECTIVE
According to the minister, the Commission will certify the projects of companies for the strategic autonomy of Europe. At that time, there will be an upper limit to those projects of 2 years to obtain authorizations for extraction and one year for refining. Today it takes around 15 years in Europe to obtain a mining permit, compared to 7 years in the US, 2 in Canada and 3 months in China.
“We have a goal that the Commission sets for us and that we share – concluded the minister – which is to reach at least 10% of the critical raw materials that are extracted in our continent by 2030. Other goals for 2030 will be 50% of refining in Europe and 20% recycling. In the latter we are already the leading country and we want to continue improving.
Read the full article
in the messenger
