EU designates four Dutch critical materials projects, government says

The European Commission has designated four projects in the Netherlands as strategic for Europe’s supply of critical raw materials, the Dutch government announced on 9 October. The projects are run by Myne Circular Metals, Back2Battery, CRITICAL. and Mitsubishi Materials. Under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act, the designation brings extra guidance during permitting and better access to European financing. It does not itself grant a permit or award funding. [1]

Myne Circular Metals recycles lower-grade metal scrap into secondary aluminium and copper. It aims to expand to several EU facilities, each with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes a year. The Dutch government says Back2Battery plans to recover lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite from lithium-ion batteries, with a starting scale of 2,000 tonnes a year in the Netherlands and a goal of 26,000 tonnes a year.

According to the government, Mitsubishi Materials plans to smelt and refine secondary copper and tungsten, with planned production of 60,000 tonnes of copper cathodes. The government also says the CRITICAL. project aims to recover materials from discarded circuit boards, initially targeting nine elements and eventually 24. These figures describe plans and ambitions, not reported production at those scales. [1]

Economic Affairs and Climate Minister Heleen Herbert said the projects could help strengthen Europe’s supply and reduce its strategic dependence.