»I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power!« (Thomas Alva Edison to Henry Ford, 1931)

DISCOVER GREENPEG, a research project to improve exploration in Europe for pegmatites, sources of critical materials. GREENPEG seeks shorter, more secure supply chains for pure silica, Li, Ta, Cs, Be, for the energy transition and emerging technologies. ... more

PEGMATITES we focus on are of LCT and NYF type that may show economic grades of critical materials. They are small but occur in large numbers, allowing exploitation with little investment, but hard to find. Efficient exploration is the key to domestic mining. ... more

IN EUROPE economic pegmatites are located in Finland, Austria, Spain and Portugal, with near-economic pegmatites in Ireland, in many places close to downstream industry. Their exploitation can complete value chains and foster regional economic development. ... more

INTELLIGENT DECISIONS

GREENPEG will enhance European databases, for example adding new data on the properties of pegmatites and their green raw materials, making the methods also important for geological surveys, attracting investment in the raw materials sector and increasing the competitiveness of EU companies. Data and products developed by GREENPEG will strengthen the foundations for EU policy making in sustainable resources policy.

With its latest Communication to the European Parliament on “Critical Raw Materials Resilience: Charting a Path towards greater Security and Sustainability”, the European Commission recognizes that the “Access to resources is a strategic security question for Europe’s ambition to deliver the Green Deal. The new industrial strategy for Europe proposes to reinforce Europe’s open strategic autonomy, warning that Europe’s transition to climate neutrality could replace today’s reliance on fossil fuels with one on raw materials, many of which we source from abroad and for which global competition is becoming more fierce. The EU’s open strategic autonomy in these sectors will therefore need to continue to be anchored in diversified and undistorted access to global markets for raw materials”. GREENPEG technology will not only unlock European mineral resources but also foster European entrepreneurship and public engagement in exploring overseas minerals occurrences. This intelligent decision reflects the reality that greening our demands and establishing the extent of our Earth resources require an interconnected world.