RISING TO MEET A CRITICAL FUTURE

SCALING UP CRITICAL MINERALS PROCESSING IS ESSENTIAL IF THE WORLD IS TO MEET ITS NET-ZERO GOALS. BUT THERE’S ONE KEY STEP THAT CAN’T BE OVERLOOKED.

Critical minerals are more than just an industry buzz word.

If the world is going to rise to the challenge of meeting net-zero targets and step into a more sustainable future, it's going to take a mammoth effort from the mining industry to get there.

Demand for critical minerals and rare earth elements (REEs) is set to skyrocket, but with mines currently taking on average 12-17 years to come into production, the industry is going to have to get creative to meet demand.

Extracting critical minerals and REES is a complex business. The processes are highly technical, and what was once a 100-tonne-per-year global industry is looking at a future measured in the tens of millions. Scaling these processes is even more complex.

According to Stantec energy and resources growth leader Stephen Beamond, a considered approach to scaling up critical minerals processing is an essential step in the supply chain.

"We haven't previously mined critical minerals at this scale, so we need to develop new processes," Beamond told Australian Mining. "These must be effective, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable.

"We've all seen mines lose time and money when things haven't gone to plan. But in the fight against climate change, we have no time to waste."