How best to achieve climate and energy targets will be the focus of a joint study between Australia and Germany, with the signing of a new declaration of intent in Perth.
For Australia, the collaboration aims to assist develop value-added industries around critical minerals. This includes opportunities from critical minerals extraction, refinement and recycling processes.
Germany will benefit from knowledge about secure and reliable critical minerals supply for manufacturing and recycling efforts.
Resources minister Madeleine King signed off on the deal with Germany’s Dr Franziska Brantner, the economic affairs and climate action parliamentary state secretary, last week.
In a statement, King said both countries shared “complementary” climate, energy and strategic ambitions. The study would leverage Australia’s vast reserves of critical minerals which are essential for components in clean-energy technologies, she added.
Critical minerals can be found in technologies such as electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels and wind turbines.
“Both Australia and Germany recognise the important opportunity we have to build diverse, resilient and sustainable critical minerals value chains,” King said.
“The declaration of intent with Germany will help us understand which critical minerals are most important to support Germany’s industries and how Australia can be a partner of choice in meeting these needs.”
Excited to sign an agreement with @fbrantner today that will see Australia and Germany working closer together on critical minerals.
Deals like this are vital if the world is to reduce emissions.
🇩🇪 🇦🇺 @GermanyInOz 👇https://t.co/rP0WQWjZNI pic.twitter.com/zbfhQ57o9j
— Madeleine King MP (@MadeleineMHKing) April 6, 2023
Germany’s Climate Protection Act has a net-zero emissions by 2045 target, and the country’s policies also fall under the European Union net zero target.
Later this year a new critical minerals strategy for Australia will be published to help grow the sector, as well as reflect its role in national net zero emissions by 2050 goals.
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