ERMA Cluster on Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion to secure sustainable raw materials supply chains
On 21 April, the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) held a mid-term meeting for Cluster 2 focusing on Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion to review the first inputs to the Action Plan and create a better link between the two ERMA workstreams: value chain-specific consultation processes and investment channel for raw materials projects.
The European Raw Materials Alliance’s second cluster was launched in February. Four task forces are moving forward with a special focus on supply chains for green energy technologies, i.e., batteries, fuel cells and electrolysers, solar and other alternative energy storage systems.
In the course of merely two months, the task forces have already harnessed the combined authority of all involved stakeholders to create an array of objectives and initial action points addressing the key raw materials issues of the energy storage and conversion sector. These first inputs were presented to over 150 stakeholders in the meeting and will be further refined and prioritised in the coming months and forwarded to the European Commission for feedback. The policy and regulatory actions to unlock European potential in securing raw materials for the strategic industrial ecosystems remain on top of our agenda.
“The continuously-growing ERMA Cluster 2 community has already exceeded 300 members and includes representatives from industry, start-ups, RTOs, academia and NGOs. This strength in numbers and diversity ensures the legitimacy of the developed actions for the future of the European raw materials sector in the context of the CRM Action Plan and the EU Green Deal.”
The current status and future of the ERMA investment funnel was presented at the mid-term meeting by Massimo Gasparon, ERMA Director at EIT RawMaterials. Six companies also made investment pitches in order to identify linkages between the two ERMA workstreams. High-level investment cases will be supported via the Raw Materials Investment Platform (RMIP). Possible investment cases range from greenfield mining to converters for providing the input material for cell production.
“It is clear that Europe has the will and the means to become a world leader in the transition to a fossil-fuel-free future. We greatly appreciate the active input of more than 300 representatives from mining to advanced materials, recycling and end-use, who form the ERMA community. The ERMA Clusters are key vehicles for transforming a broad stakeholder input into coherent and concrete policy messages that support Europe’s industrial transition.”
