EU, Argentina sign raw materials MoU with lithium in focus
BUENOS AIRES - Argentina's president and the chief of the European Union signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday to boost cooperation on sustainable raw materials during an event in Buenos Aires, in a push for more clean energy tie-ups.
The agreement is designed to boost cooperation on climate-friendly infrastructure as well as new research on raw materials, including lithium, an ultra-light electric vehicle battery metal that governments worldwide are keen to secure supply of.
"Lithium is very important because it is crucial for clean energy technologies," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference in Buenos Aires, citing an estimated 12-fold rise in lithium demand in Europe by 2030.
Argentina is the world's fourth largest producer of lithium and has been attracting a wave of investment. The country, along with Chile and Bolivia, is in South America's so-called 'lithium triangle', which holds the world's largest trove of the metal.
Von der Leyen added that Argentina also had big potential for renewable energy, including solar and wind, as well as green hydrogen, a growing sector.
The MoU comes as the EU and South America's Mercosur bloc push towards finalizing a trade deal, which some leaders hope can be concluded by the end of the year.
"My aim is that we do everything we can so the Mercosur-EU agreement is concluded as soon as possible," said von der Leyen. "I think the bulk of the work has already been done."
Argentine President Alberto Fernández said there were some kinks in the deal to iron out, citing issues such as Europe looking to protect its farm sector and stringent environmental clauses that could impact South American producers.
"We ask for a balanced agreement, where we all win," he said. "Those are the things we have to talk about."
Comments
The
content
you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.
If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.
If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.
For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation