A new partnership has been agreed between the UK and Canada which is designed to boost green technology supply chains.
The deal, agreed on 6 March, will allow for co-operation on critical minerals such as cobalt and lithium that are essential to the economy.
Those minerals are key in the production of batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones and solar panel components.
Cobalt is also vital for use in medicine for imaging, cancer radiotherapy and sterilizing medical equipment.
More resilience
The countries have agreed to work together on research and make supply chains more resilient as demand for some minerals is expected to rise 500 per cent by 2040.
The agreement was signed by Nusrat Ghani, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade, during a five-day visit to Canada to meet counterparts and attend the International Mines Ministers Summit and the closing of the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Welcoming the deal, Ms Ghani said: “Every single one of us depends on critical minerals to make the technology we use in our everyday lives. With a dash for minerals to meet national business needs, it is essential we work to build more resilient supply chains for critical minerals.”
Clean energy
It is believed the deal will help make UK manufacturers of cutting-edge technologies more resilient to global shocks.
The Government said the announcement is a step forward toward a sustainable and secure clean energy ecosystem.
Canada is the UK’s 13th largest export partner and represents a large opportunity for UK mining and engineering firms, with the country currently producing 60 minerals and metals at 200 mines and 6,500 quarries.
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