Price volatility in critical minerals, largely shaped by China’s market, is delaying or derailing nearly one in four energy-storage investments worldwide, according to a new report, highlighting the extent to which strategic materials have become a growing geopolitical flashpoint.
Some 23 per cent of investors, lenders, developers and producers said otherwise viable energy-storage projects had been deferred or scrapped because of unpredictable pricing, said a report published by law firm DLA Piper on Tuesday.
Pricing for critical minerals used in battery cells, including lithium, cobalt and graphite, was anchored to benchmark indices largely influenced by China’s domestic market, where processing was also heavily concentrated, the report said.