PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Australia has joined the Minerals Security Partnership in its quest to develop and secure global supply chains for critical minerals that are crucial to clean energy technology and the global transition to clean energy.

Australia joins the US, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, the UK and the European Commission on this mission.

“The US has taken a strong lead on the new partnership, which will help member countries build links with key markets in our region and globally, and help embed Australia in international critical mineral supply chains and technologies crucial to the global economy,” Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell said.

“The partnership seeks to catalyse public and private investment for mining, processing and recycling projects that adhere to the highest environmental, social and governance standards.”

Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King has held a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to discuss the importance of critical minerals for the transition to clean energy and the manufacture of new battery, solar and electric vehicle technologies, and how to improve cooperation on critical minerals.

“My discussions with Secretary Granholm were extremely positive, and underlined how Australia and the US can work together to further the development of critical minerals and to diversify global supply chains,” King said.

“We agree that ongoing and secure supplies of critical minerals will be crucial to the modern renewable technologies that will ultimately help our two countries, and the world, achieve our net-zero ambitions.”

Granholm added that as the building blocks of clean energy technologies, critical minerals were integral to the US and Australia’s shared climate objectives, and bolstering the diversity of and elevating responsible standards for their associated supply chains was an area ripe for enhanced bilateral cooperation.

“I’m so pleased with the productive conversations I’ve had with Minister King and Australian industry on how to leverage our strengths and resources,” she added.

King and Granholm agreed that officials from the two countries would meet within three months to make further progress on the recently signed Australia – US Net Zero Technology Acceleration Partnership.

Farrell, King and Granholm also attended the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Australia’s Arafura Resources and major US company General Electric (GE).

The MoU will see GE progress negotiations to purchase rare earth materials from Arafura’s Nolans project, in the Northern Territory, as a key component of wind turbine renewable energy generators.