China, Critical Materials, Technologies and the Low-Carbon Energy Transition
The low-carbon energy transition requires a growing quantity of minerals for technologies such as batteries, wind turbines, solar energy, electrolysers and nuclear power. The extraction and processing of many of these minerals is geographically concentrated. In this respect, China is currently a key player in international markets for such materials as rare earth metals, graphite, cobalt, lithium, manganese, silicon and nickel. It has achieved this status through promoting its mining and ore processing industries both at home and abroad. In addition, China also has a dominant position in the supply of clean energy technologies such as lithium-ion batteries, solar PV cells, permanent magnets and other components of wind turbines. This project aims to deepen understanding of the evolving policies and actors in China’s low-carbon energy supply chains, both at home and overseas, and to assess the implications for China and the rest of the world.
