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Technology Metal Minerals Scarcity Concern

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Technology Metal Minerals Scarcity Concern

Unread postby vox_mundi » Thu 11 Sep 2014, 11:43:04

Recent surveys have identified that some UK executives, particularly those in the manufacturing sector, are concerned about the availability of metal mineral resource inputs and the economic impact that it may have on UK competitiveness - potentially jeopardizing energy goals and renewable energy targets.

Consideration of primary supply of minerals is important in the near term, not only because of the expansion of energy systems but also because the long lifetime of assets means that minerals are `locked-in’, unavailable for recycling for many years.

The most potentially significant metal minerals constraint risk to UK energy innovation and system development to 2050 may be posed by the volatility in price and potential disruptions to the availability of `technology metal minerals’ used in both conventional energy generation and low carbon technologies. Supply uncertainty is the key concern. The availability of technology metal minerals at reasonable economic costs is essential to facilitate the rapid commercialization of the low carbon energy system.

Although there is no absolute shortage of any metal mineral resources, absolute availability is not a meaningful guide to prospective future production and availability, because of the impacts of economics and geopolitics.

Resource risk assessments require a system based perspective, especially of supply and demand side issues in order to account for market dynamics and ensure the development of appropriate policy responses. There is a concern that some metal mineral assessment tools are likely to lead to inadequate and miss-directed policy responses.


A report by the UK Energy Research Centre "Materials availability for low-carbon technologies: An assessment of the evidence" summarizes the research discussed in this press release and can be downloaded from the UKERC website:

http://www.ukerc.ac.uk/support/tiki-dow ... ileId=3711

A report by the Energy Research Partnership "The Potential Impact of Resource Constraints on UK Energy Innovation and System Development to 2050 – Minerals: Policy Summary" can be downloaded from the ERP website:

http://www.energyresearchpartnership.or ... Efficiency
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