New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Decarbonising Australian mining of critical clean energy minerals
23/7/2025
10 min read
Feature
The global energy landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, with a decisive shift towards renewable energy sources. As one of the world’s largest mining nations, Australia is uniquely positioned to influence and drive this transition by becoming a leading supplier of many of the essential minerals and metals needed for clean energy technologies. However, the mining sector is a notoriously dirty sector, so Australian mining companies are exploring how to supply critical minerals for the energy transition without directly contributing to what the energy transition is trying to solve – climate change. Energy Institute Senior Energy Product Lead Gemma Fox explores this modern dilemma.
The global push for technologies to support the decarbonisation of the energy sector has seen a large rise in demand for various key minerals. The importance of these minerals and their supply chain to the energy transition cannot be overstated, but the market is dynamic with volatile prices, geopolitical uncertainties and supply chain constraints. This has demanded reliable and more transparent data on production and reserves of these minerals and, as such, the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy continues to expand its coverage of the global minerals market. After adding data on copper, manganese and nickel last year, in 2025 the Review has expanded further to cover tin, vanadium, bauxite, aluminium and zinc.
Australia has an extensive history as a mining nation, with European settlers first discovering coal in 1791, and metal mining beginning with lead in 1841 followed by copper in 1842. Despite over two centuries of exploitation, the country continues to have abundant natural resources to be explored. Australia has some of the largest reserves globally of key minerals and metals needed for the energy transition. The latest Statistical Review of World Energy highlights that as of 2024, Australia held the following share of proved global reserves: 16% of cobalt, 25% of lithium, 10% of copper, 27% of manganese, 17% of nickel, 27% of zinc and 12% of bauxite.
These minerals have extensive uses in the transition to clean technologies. For example, aluminium, with its lightweight durability and conductivity, is widely used in wind turbine blades, solar panel frames and electricity grids. Copper is critical for wind turbine generators, solar panel wiring and electricity grid infrastructure, including electric vehicle (EV) charging. Cobalt and lithium are crucial for the cathodes and anodes of lithium-ion batteries, powering EVs and large-scale energy storage systems essential for grid stability. Manganese contributes to steel production for wind turbine components. Zinc is used for galvanisation, a process that coats steel components in wind turbines and other infrastructure to prevent rust and corrosion. With extensive resources of these critical minerals, Australia is well positioned to be a pivotal player in the global supply chain for the energy transition.