Europe has lots of lithium, but struggles to get it out of the ground
Its targets for strategic autonomy look hard to meet
Europe MAY not be as well endowed when it comes to lithium as Australia, China and Chile, but it is still home to an estimated 5% of the world’s reserves of the rare white metal. Yet it currently produces next to none of the stuff, which is crucial for making electric-vehicle (EV) batteries and energy-storage systems. It still relies on imported refined lithium that usually comes from China.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Mining muddle”
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