Critical Minerals Refresh

Last updated: 12 December 2023

In this document, the Department for Business and Trade sets out refreshed milestones for 2023 to delivering resilient critical mineral supply chains outlined in the 2022 UK Critical Minerals Strategy. It also launches the independent Task & Finish Group on Critical Minerals Resilience for UK Industry with expert and industry representatives appointed by and reporting directly to the Minister for Industry and Investment Security. The group is tasked with the following objectives by the end of the year:

  • Investigate the critical mineral dependencies and vulnerabilities across UK industry sectors.
  • Support UK industry to promote resilience and diversity in its supply chain.
  • Design a framework for monitoring and mitigating critical mineral supply risk across UK industry sectors.

The Refresh contains the following additional key announcements:

  • The acceleration of the government's collaboration on critical minerals with international partners, including recent partnerships agreed with Canada and South Africa and engagement through the Minerals Security Partnership, International Energy Agency and G7.
  • The launch of UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains (CLIMATES) fund.
  • A dedicated funding pillar on technology innovations for critical minerals in developing countries in the £65.5 million Accelerate-to-Demonstrate (A2D) Facility under the umbrella Clean Energy Innovation Facility (CEIF) platform.

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