Hatch report on the North American critical minerals supply chain released

April 9, 2024

Washington, DC-The Wilson Center has released a new report, authored by Hatch, that details how North American countries can develop pathways to establish a regional supply chain for critical minerals. The report, titled "Polymetallic Nodules and the Critical Minerals Supply Chain: A North American Approach," investigates the processing requirements for critical minerals sourced from polymetallic nodules.

Critical minerals such as nickel and cobalt are essential in the production of electric vehicle batteries and defense industry supplies. The demand for these minerals is expected to drastically increase over the next two decades and supply is not expected to keep pace with demand.

The report details the technical requirements to build a domestic supply chain of critical minerals by processing polymetallic nodules within the United States and the broader North American continent to reduce the region's reliance on foreign processing and refining capabilities. The report highlights that many jurisdictions in North America offer the necessary synergies to localize processing capabilities on the continent.

"Localizing processing capabilities offers the greatest opportunity to build a resilient supply chain for critical minerals domestically, and several jurisdictions across North America can offer the necessary benefits and synergies to enable the development of smelting and refining facilities necessary to achieve this goal," shared Michael McCaffrey, associate, Hatch.

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars provides nonpartisan counsel and insights on global affairs to policymakers through deep research, impartial analysis, and independent scholarship.

Hatch is a global engineering, project execution, and professional services firm with experience spanning over 150 countries in the metals, energy, and infrastructure sectors.

Read the complete report here: Polymetallic Nodules and The Critical Minerals Supply Chain.pdf (wilsoncenter.org)

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For more information, please contact:

Lindsay Janca

Global Director, Public Relations

Tel: +1 905 403 4199

Email: [email protected]

About Hatch
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Find out more on www.hatch.com.

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