Some minerals and metals are classified as critical and strategic raw materials. But what does this terminology actually mean?
Author: Tor Espen Simonsen
Published: 14 Nov, 2023
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Updated: 12 Dec, 2023
Traditionally, a raw material is classified as 'critical' when it holds significant economic importance and is associated with supply chain risks.
The classification of critical raw materials varies significantly between countries, depending on their economy, business structure, and security policy. As such, Norway's list of critical raw materials is shorter than the list used in the EU.
Before we proceed further, it's essential to define the concept. We can start with the following: Norway's mineral strategy states that critical raw materials are raw materials that:
While the ranking of critical minerals is influenced by the specific needs of each individual country or region, certain minerals consistently appear on these lists. All industrialized countries consider REE among the most critical raw materials. This is what makes the Fen Complex so interesting and relevant today.
The EU has identified a list consisting of 34 critical raw materials. Not all of these 34 raw materials can be found on the Nordic list list which forms the basis of Norwegian policy in the area:
Lithium, graphite, cobalt, niobium, platinum, silicon, hafnium, titanium, tantalum and vanadium, rare earth elements, feldspar, copper, nickel and phosphate.
Note that niobium is included in the Nordic list, a classification that is also applicable to the EU, the USA, and several other countries and regions. Niobium is present in the Fen Complex, where mining and extraction of niobium took place in the 1960s - Søve gruver*. You can read more about this in our article about the Fen Complex..
Norway currently extracts graphite, silicon, and titanium, with ongoing exploration for additional resource extraction.
In Norway, the NGU* (Geological Survey of Norway) is responsible for mapping the country's mineral resources. Since 2022, NGU has been assigned an accentuated mission to prioritize critical mineral deposits
In the process of mapping, particular emphasis has been placed on investigating known nickel and copper deposits that may also contain cobalt, as well as rare earths (REE), which are highly relevant in the Fen Complex.
The risk of disruption in the supply of critical raw materials is linked to the concentration of extraction and production within a limited number of countries, such as China.
Rising geopolitical tensions in the world, great power rivalry and the trade war between the US and China increasingly play into this and reinforce the risk picture.
Europe is dependent on importing from 80 to 100 percent of many of the minerals defined by the EU as critical. In many cases, China appears as the only supplier.
A large proportion of the world's extraction and further processing of rare earths is currently controlled by China, and in 2023 the EU is 100 per cent dependent on imports of these raw materials. This is also the reason why the EU considers rare earths to be the most critical raw materials.
Europe consumes 25 percent of the world's critical minerals, but produces only three percent itself.
Both Norway and the EU import a significant portion of their essential mineral resources from countries with which they do not have security policy agreements. This highlights the strategic importance of securing access to these raw materials.
In the context of geopolitics, certain minerals are therefore classified as strategic raw materials* . Traditionally, these have been raw materials that are important for weapons production, defense and warfare.
When the European Commission presented its proposal for a new mineral act (CRMA) in 2023, an expanded concept for strategic raw materials was launched. The concept of strategic raw materials covers critical minerals that are strategically important for green transformation, digitalisation, as well as space and defense materials.
The EU's list of 34 critical minerals in 2023 includes a group of 16 strategic raw materials that are given even higher priority (see the table below).
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