New Delhi:
The US may no longer need to rely on foreign shipments of lithium to meet its battery needs. The Appalachian mountains in the eastern part of the country could hold enough reserves to last over 300 years, research by the US Geological Survey (USGS) revealed.
In a statement on its website, the agency explained that the Appalachians contain an estimated 2.3 million metric tons of undiscovered, economically recoverable lithium. This equals 328 years of US imports at last year’s levels.
The reserves, divided into two parts — 1.43 million metric tons in the Carolinas and an estimated 900,000 metric tons in the northern Appalachians, hold enough capacity to power 130 million electric vehicles. The reserve is capable of supplying 1.6 million grid-scale batteries, enough to power 180 billion laptops or 500 billion mobile phones.
New Reserve Critical For US Mineral Security
Lithium is one of the most important components for powering computers, vehicles, military equipment, phones, electric tools, and other devices. Lithium-ion batteries are also crucial for energy-grid storage and aerospace alloys. As per the USGS, demand for the critical mineral is set to double by 2029.
The US has relied on imports of the critical mineral to meet growing demand, with only one domestic producer of lithium. The new reserve can change things.
USGS Director Ned Mamula explained in a statement, “This research shows that the Appalachians contain enough lithium to help meet the nation’s growing needs – a major contribution to US mineral security, at a time when global lithium demand is rising rapidly.”
He added, “The United States was the dominant world producer of lithium three decades ago, and this research highlights the abundant potential to reclaim our mineral independence.”
The reserves were discovered in pegmatites, which are large-grained rocks similar to granite that were formed at the same time as the Appalachians over 250 million years ago. Presently, Australia is the largest lithium producer, while China is second. The Asian giant is also dominant in the refinement and consumption of the critical mineral.
The discovery of the reserves comes in the backdrop of increasing competition between the US and China for rare earths. Earlier this year, the Trump administration launched Project Vault to stockpile over 50 critical minerals, including rare earths, DW reported.
The project will be backed by a $10 billion loan from the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM). An additional $2 billion in private capital is also available for utilisation. Taken together, the $12 billion budget can buy every gram of critical minerals, at current prices, used outside of China in a single year.