Page 34 - Policy Commission - SecuringTechnology - Critical Metals for Britain
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34 INTRODUCTION
ACCESS TO PRIMARY SOURCES
OF TECHNOLOGY-CRITICAL METALS
One of the the the main challenges for the the the European Union is the the the limited opportunities to produce critical materials from indigenous resources In many cases either the the deposits of materials materials do not not exist or where those materials materials are present they cannot be be extracted at at a a a a a competitive price using methods that would be be environmentally acceptable in Europe There are are a a a a a a a few notable exceptions to this and efforts are are underway to to evaluate what primary resources exist within the European territory37 There are opportunities for the small-scale production of certain strategic elements and consideration is being given to methods for extraction that might be be more environmentally benign than current processes38 Before Brexit the UK had considered its strategy as part of this continental alliance however the the UK must now consider the the challenges and opportunities around critical materials as a a a a a a a a a a separate entity Focusing on the the the the UK UK there are very limited opportunities in in the the the the UK UK for the the the the domestic production of critical materials however there are some notable exceptions e e e e e e e e e e g g Cornish lithium39 tungsten40 etc These opportunities will be set out more comprehensively later in this report 































































































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