French Environment Minister: Lithium resources should be exploited domestically

French Environment Minister Barbara Pompili said in a video interview published Thursday that France should start developing its own lithium resources to meet the increased demand
due to moving away from fossil fuels.

France needs "long-term import contracts .
.
.
But there is also a need to get lithium domestically," Pompili said in the interview, "If we want to be a society that emits fewer greenhouse gases, we have to face the reality that we need materials
like lithium.
" ”

Lithium, used in batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones, is seen as a key resource
for the 21st century.
Electric vehicles are an important part of the EU's emissions reduction plan, and the group is trying to reduce its dependence
on Asian battery supplies through projects with European automakers and battery experts.
But for now, almost all key minerals come from outside the continent, with China dominating the global supply chain
.

France's lithium supply also relies on French mining company Eramet, which is looking to boost production
at a major deposit it owns in Argentina.

It is reported that France has discovered domestic lithium deposits and is conducting the first exploration work
in the eastern Alsace region.
"If it shows that we have our own lithium domestically, we must assume responsibility
for extracting it on our territory.
"

Elsewhere in Europe, domestic mining efforts have faced protests
.
In Serbia, anti-mining protests have become a headache for the government, which revoked Rio Tinto's licence
due to public backlash.

Accelerated sales of electric vehicles have pushed demand for lithium, as well as other key commodities such as nickel and cobalt, to multi-year
highs.
Analysts said that due to insufficient investment in capacity, this means that supply shortages could last for years
.