The European Commission has announced its list of strategic projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) with the aim of strengthening EU domestic resources for critical raw materials and building resilient and sustainable European supply chains.
Among the projects selected are three companies from InnoEnergy’s portfolio – Vulcan Energy Resources, Euro Manganese Inc., and Northvolt’s Revolt. Support in permitting and financing will be essential to bringing these projects to full scale.
The Strategic Project label is recognition of the strategic importance of these companies in reducing dependencies on external sources and build a sustainable raw materials ecosystem. The lab is set to act as a signal to the market and is expected to be recognised at both EU and national level to act as a fast-track in securing public contracts and access to public financing instruments.
The InnoEnergy portfolio companies selected are also part of the European Battery Alliance, the industrial alliance led by InnoEnergy which seeks to establish a robust battery value chain from raw material extraction to end-of-life recycling.
InnoEnergy portfolio selected
Vulcan Energy Resources: the Australian-German company is building the Zero Carbon Lithium™ project in Germany’s Upper Rhine Valley. By extracting battery-grade lithium hydroxide from geothermal brine, Vulcan offers a sustainable, carbon-neutral alternative to conventional lithium mining. This is critical for Europe’s electric vehicle (EV) market by reducing import reliance.
Euro Manganese Inc.: developing the Chvaletice Manganese Project in the Czech Republic. This initiative involves reprocessing manganese-rich tailings from historical mining activities to produce high-purity manganese for lithium-ion batteries. By focusing on recycling and environmental remediation, the project contributes to Europe’s sustainability and self-sufficiency efforts.
Northvolt’s Revolt program: an ambitious battery recycling program, Revolt aims to recover and repurpose valuable materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese from used batteries. This circular economy approach minimises environmental impact while securing a local supply of critical battery components.
What the EU’s CRMA aims to achieve
The Critical Raw Materials Act is designed to strengthen Europe’s resilience by securing access to essential raw materials. The CRMA sets the following ambitious targets for the EU’s raw material consumption by 2030:
- At least 10% from domestic extraction
- At least 40% to be processed within the EU
- At least 25% sourced from recycled materials
- No more than 65% reliance on a single third country for any strategic raw material at any stage of processing
