Metals are a critical enabler, and a potential bottleneck, for the transition. As demand for low-carbon power, batteries and grid infrastructure grows, so does the need for the metals that underpin them. The scale of growth for some metals is enormous – 2050 lithium demand from the energy transition alone looks to be about 17.5 times more than demand in 2020. Energy transition-related demand for cobalt, nickel and copper in our Net Zero Scenario also exceeds total demand in 2020 for these metals. This exponential growth will require newer technologies that increase the scale of production, without compromising the sustainable extraction of these metals.
