Canada Updates Critical Minerals List, Adding Silica, Phosphorous
The Canadian government has released an updated Critical Minerals List, focusing efforts on developing robust value chains for minerals essential to the green and digital economy. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, revealed that the list now includes 34 critical minerals, up from 31 in the previous version released in March 2021.
The updated list follows extensive consultations with provincial and territorial governments, industry, Indigenous groups, and other stakeholders. The review process aimed to ensure that Canada’s efforts in sustainable mining exploration, extraction, advanced manufacturing, clean technology, and information and communications technologies align with the most accurate market trends, geopolitical factors, and scientific advancements.
The 2024 Critical Minerals List retains all 31 minerals from the 2021 version and adds three new entries: high-purity iron, phosphorous, and silicon metal. These materials are crucial for various products and technologies, including electric vehicle batteries, green steel, semiconductors, and fertilizers.
Minister Wilkinson said in a statement that investing in critical minerals projects will create jobs, foster Canadian innovation, and reduce emissions nationwide. By building critical minerals value chains, Canada aims to become the global supplier of choice for these essential resources and the clean energy and technology sources they enable.
The updated Critical Minerals List is part of Canada’s strengthened climate plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
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