"Ministers information" It reviews the most prominent international reports on the critical metal market

The Information and Decision Support Center in the Council of Ministers has highlighted the most prominent global expectations on the global critical minerals, as it referred to the report issued by & quot; International Energy Agency & quot; (IEA), who made it clear that last year witnessed a strong continuation of the growth growth of the vital metals of energy, the demand for lithium increased by about 30%, which greatly exceeds the average annual growth rate in the past decade, which reached 10%, as the demand for nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare ground elements increased by rates between 6%and 8%, mainly driven by uses in electric cars, and storing The batteries, renewable energy, and electricity networks. Especially from China, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to low prices; Where the prices of lithium fell by more than 80%since 2023, and the prices of graphite, cobalt and nickel decreased by 10%-20%. Where the new investments slowed to only 5% in 2024 compared to 14% in 2023, and real growth decreased to only 2% after the calculation of inflation, and exploration activities recorded stability after escalating growth since 2020, with the exception of lithium, uranium and copper. Geographical, especially in the areas of refining; Where the three major countries dominated 86% of refined production in 2024, compared to 82% in 2020, with China controlled cobalt, graphite, rare ground elements, and Indonesia on Nickel. Until 2035, in the field of mining, production witnessed a growth of existing producers such as China, Indonesia and the Congo, while Argentina and Zimbabwe have emerged as new sources of lehium, and for a balance between supply and demand, despite the improvement of expectations for some minerals, the gaps between supply and demand are still expected in copper and lehium; A deficit in the width of copper is expected to up to 30% by 2035, as a result of the decline in raw quality, high costs and lack of discoveries. In December 2024, China imposed restrictions on exporting biological minerals such as Galium and Geranium to the United States of America, followed by additional restrictions in 2025. The Congo also suspended the cobalt exports for four months. The report shows that supplies from outside the big producers will only meet half of the global demand expected for some minerals by 2035, which makes markets vulnerable to supply shocks.

& nbsp; He also stressed the importance of international cooperation, to link resource -rich countries such as African countries that possess a quarter of graphite reserves with countries with advanced capabilities in refining and manufacturing such as the United States of America and European countries. Direct extraction of Lithium, the recycling of batteries, and the employment of artificial intelligence in exploration operations, indicating & nbsp; in its conclusion that sustainability programs have become more spacious, but social safety indicators are still slow, calling for strengthening tracking and sustainability in the global supply chains of critical metals.

• For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Related