Italy's hidden treasure:lithium, cobalt and other “critical raw materials” now essential for the energy transition

The map of Ispra and the areas where the mines can be reopened.Minister Urso:we cannot depend on China

In the Italian subsoil there are at least 15 of the 34 critical raw materials necessary for the energy transition.These are components necessary for wind turbines, photovoltaic panels and electric car batteries.For example, in the Beigua National Park in Liguria there is the largest titanium deposit in Europe.The one in Pianpaludo.Last September, the "Technical Table on Critical Raw Materials" was established, coordinated by the Ministry of Business and the Ministry of the Environment.With the main contribution of Ispra, he explains today Republic, the Table is carrying out the mapping of the sites in Italy.As provided for by an EU regulation presented by the Commission on 16 March, to guarantee a safe and sustainable supply of critical raw materials.

The 3 thousand sites in Italy

According to Ispra there are 3 thousand sites in Italy from which critical raw materials can be extracted.Lithium is found in northern Lazio, or in volcanic areas such as Lake Bracciano.But also in the Campi Flegrei in Campania.Cobalt, on the other hand, is extracted in Piedmont, in Punta Corna.But it is also found in Lazio.The map shows a concentration of other important metals.Such as barite, beryllium, nickel and tungsten.They are found in the Alps, in Sardinia and in Tuscany.And then there are materials like copper, which is found in the Alps, in Liguria and Tuscany.Or zinc, which was mainly mined in Gorno, near Bergamo.In past years there have been attempts to reopen, all of which have failed.But now we will have to think again.

Minister Urso

The Minister of Business Adolfo Urso he explains to the newspaper that «we have just understood how dangerous it was to rely on Russian fossil fuels, we cannot do the same with China on rare earths and precious minerals.In recent years Beijing has followed an expansionist policy with acquisitions of deposits."While «the United States has put on the table with various measures over 1,850 billion to respond to China», Urso pressed.To do the same, the European Union must "accelerate on the European Sovereign Fund:it can be the key to acquiring deposits outside the EU with a view to differentiating supplies, and it can finance digital and green reconversion projects for European companies".

The mapping

The minister talks about the work that is being completed with his colleague Picket:"We must update within the next three-four months a map that has been stagnant for over 30 years."Finally, on mineral research he assures that «our standards of environmental and social protection will not be jeopardized».And on the risks of vetoes and protests he announces an «honesty operation:until now we have allowed rare earths to arrive from countries where environmental and work quality controls were minimal".But, concludes the minister, "the reduction of emissions and the transition to more sustainable technologies cannot happen without these raw materials".It is an "ecological and sovereign" choice.