Biden, Trudeau outline roadmap to secure supply chains for batteries and renewable energy storage

by John Shepherd
US President Joe Biden and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau pledged to jointly develop secure battery material supply chains during a virtual summit. Photo: Office of Canada's PM.
The US and Canada have agreed to jointly develop supply chains that will support a new generation of battery development and production – and to expand initiatives that support renewable energy storage and "zero-emissions vehicles”.

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to "strengthen” the Canada-US Critical Minerals Action Plan, finalised last year, and "to work together, to build the necessary supply chains, to make Canada and the US global leaders in all aspects of battery development and production”.

The announcement, in a virtual summit yesterday, followed calls from battery industry leaders on either side of the US-Canada border to recognise the role of advanced battery technologies in meeting climate and energy targets – as reported by World Battery News earlier this month.

International cooperation

The leaders also agreed to strengthen cooperation under the Energy Resource Governance Initiative – a multinational effort to foster international cooperation "on the minerals and metals that make the energy transition possible”.

Biden said the US wanted to achieve a net-zero carbon pollution free power sector by 2035, while Trudeau said Canada’s goal was to achieve "90% non-emitting electricity by 2030”.

According to Canada’s government, the country supplies 13 of the 35 minerals that the US has identified as critical to economic and national security.
 
A report published last month by industry analysts, Wood Mackenzie, forecast solar would become the cheapest power source in every US state, plus Canada, China and 14 other countries by 2030 – giving a further boost to demand for battery storage.

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