What if France extracted its own lithium?

The Minister for Ecological Transition, Barbara Pompili, expresses the government’s interest in exploiting the lithium located under French soil.

As part of the “France 2030” plan, the objective is to make France less dependent on foreign countries in terms of lithium imports.

A first operating test is underway in Alsace

For The echoes, Barbara Pompili, Minister for the Ecological Transition, has taken a new step concerning the exploitation of the lithium available in France. Clearly, the Minister believes that ” our responsibility [de l’État, ndlr], it is first of all to have long-term import contracts, which make it possible to have
social and environmental rules
normal in the countries from which we are going to import, but also to get lithium from us “.

While the International Energy Agency estimates that lithium needs in France will be multiplied by 42 in just twenty years – the fault, among other things, of the multiplication of batteries -, Barbara Pompili wishes all the more to increase our national sovereignty in its lithium supply. But the path looks very long, although a first extraction test is being carried out in Alsace.

The Minister for Ecological Transition believes in the current mining code in order to avoid potential criticism of the environmental impact, but also social for the populations living near the deposits. A point not to be overlooked, since in Serbia, the government had to backpedal for 2022 and cancel its extraction project in the Jadar Valley. While we are still awaiting an assessment of the Alsatian test, the only deadline currently set for the Government remains carbon neutrality in 2050.

Source: The echoes