EU adds 13 new critical mineral projects abroad

The European Union has selected 13 new strategic raw materials projects outside its borders as part of its push to secure critical mineral supplies.

The full list of new projects spans 13 countries: Canada, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine, Zambia, New Caledonia, Brazil, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

The initiative comes as the bloc seeks to reduce its reliance on China, which tightened export controls on rare earth magnets in April.

“We must reduce our dependencies on all countries, particularly on a number of countries like China,” European Commissioner for Industry, Thierry Breton, said during the announcement. “The export bans increase our will to diversify.”

The new projects are backed by the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act, adopted in 2023, which sets ambitious targets for sourcing key materials by 2030. The bloc aims to mine at least 10%, process 40%, and recycle 25% of its annual needs domestically or through strategic partnerships.

The 13 projects are expected to mobilize a combined €5.5 billion ($6.3 billion) in capital investments. Ten of them focus on materials essential to battery technologies such as lithium, cobalt, manganese, and graphite, while two others target rare earth element production.

Canada’s Dumont nickel project in Quebec is among the selected sites. Located about 25 kilometres west of Amos, in the municipalities of Launay and Trécesson, Dumont holds more than 1 billion tonnes of mineral reserves and is considered one of the world’s largest undeveloped nickel sulphide deposits. The project is fully permitted and backed by a feasibility study.

Other key additions include Rio Tinto’s Jadar lithium project in Serbia, which has faced ongoing opposition from environmental groups. The Serbian government revoked its license in 2022, but a local court reinstated Rio Tinto’s permit last year. If developed, Jadar could supply up to 90% of Europe’s lithium demand, according to the EU.

Graphite extraction projects in the Ukraine and Greenland also made the list. Greenland has drawn geopolitical attention in recent years after President Trump expressed interest in purchasing the Danish autonomous territory.

These additions bring the EU’s global network of strategic raw material initiatives to 60, following the bloc’s March announcement of 47 approved projects within its member states.

(With files from Reuters)