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Used effectively, Australia’s wealth in critical mineral resources such as lithium and silicon will help drive the nation’s renewable energy sector and overall economic growth.

That’s the conclusion of a new Critical Energy Minerals Roadmap released this week by the CSIRO.

The Roadmap says that Australia can “reshape its mining sector” to produce the “high-purity materials and products through refining and manufacturing” needed for electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines.

“Australia’s future economic prosperity will depend on how well we can use our vast energy and mineral resources to play to our strengths and create new opportunities through the global transition to net zero emissions,” said CSIRO Chief Executive, Larry Marshall.

“There is a wealth of opportunity in front of us that will only be fully realised by developing a Team Australia response.”

“Rather than just extracting the minerals and shipping them away to be refined and turned into products, Australia has a real opportunity to operate all the way along the energy value chain, from extraction to processing, separating, refining and manufacturing high value materials and products,” added CSIRO’s Director Mineral Resources, Jonathan Law.

“The roadmap also demonstrates the economic opportunities that can be harnessed by strategically investing in new critical mineral deposits and processing technologies that reduce cost and environmental footprint.”

The Roadmap was co-funded by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources’ Critical Minerals Facilitation Office.

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