The UK and Canada have announced a new partnership on research and supply chain resilience for materials which are essential for green tech development.

Minerals such as cobalt and lithium are used in green technologies including electric vehicle (EV) and solar panels, and the demand for certain materials is anticipated to rise by as much as 500 per cent by 2040, the government said.

As part of the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy, the Critical Minerals Statement of Intent and Dialogue with Canada is aimed at securing supply chains for these minerals to help the UK grow its green technology markets.

The cooperation is also intended to help make UK manufacturers of green technologies more resilient to global shocks and to promote research and development between UK and Canadian businesses.

Canada represents a large opportunity for UK mining and engineering firms, the government said, and currently produces 60 minerals and metals at 200 mines and 6,500 quarries.

Nusrat Ghani, minister for business and trade commented: “With a dash for minerals to meet national business needs, it is essential we work to build more resilient supply chains for critical minerals.”

The new partnership follows a £30 million investment by the government into companies working on net zero and related green tech initiatives.

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