Strategic raw materials. Metals of rare lands. Polish plan sent to the EC

The obligation to draw up the search program – as explained by the director of the State Geological Institute Krzysztof Szamałek – imposes an EU act with strategic raw materials (CRMA). Poland sent the plan on May 23 and is currently awaiting its acceptance. He stipulated that this is a program project that requires the approval of the European Commission and the Polish Council of Ministers.

As part of it, three search priorities were determined: group I with a high priority, e.g. copper and graphite, group II with medium priority, including Coal, titanium and group III with a low priority, which include Metals of rare lands. The director of the Institute also reported that the expected total cost of the search program in 2026-2033 is to amount to PLN 182.5 million.

He added that the actions are carried out by geological service, and these will be works, including Geothermal, geophysical and conceptual, e.g. forming models of deposits.

In turn, the main geologist of the country, deputy minister of climate and environment Krzysztof Galos announced that the bill that will introduce the provisions of the EU act to Polish law, at the end of June is to be sent to consultation. He explained that the EU regulation, among others Specifies 34 critical raw materials for the community, and among them sets 17 of the strategic significance. He noted that in Poland among these 34 raw materials “we actually produce only a few”, including – as he pointed out – coal coal.

The goals set in CRMA on 2030 are: at least 10 percent annual total consumption of a given raw material in the EU from its own extraction within the EU; 40 percent from EU processing, and 25 percent Recycling within the EU. In addition, no more than 65 percent may come from one country outside the EU. deliveries to community countries, which is to prevent the EU economy from addiction to delivery from one direction.

In addition, the act introduces a time frame for strategic projects. The idea is for mining projects to receive permission in a maximum of 27 months, processing and recycling in 15 months. These projects – as the deputy minister added – are to obtain a priority status in national permits and have better access to financing and implementation mechanisms.

Two such projects were selected in Poland, i.e. the Rafination Plant of Rare Earths in Puławy and the “Polvolt” battery recycling plant in Zawiercie.

CMRA also obliges Member States to prepare mechanisms for monitoring the risk of supplying critical raw materials, including the development of early warning systems.

– It can also lead – if it is justified – to the decision to accumulate strategic stocks of these raw materials – said Galos. He announced that the bill that will implement the provisions of the EU act “is practically ready” and “will go to consultation in the near future.” He specified that the project could go to consultation at the end of June.

– In this project (…) we are trying to clarify individual, more detailed solutions related to the implementation of duties imposed by the regulation – he explained.

The project is to contain a proposal to cyclically prepare the document “State raw material policy”. As the deputy minister said, the last time such a document was published in 2022, and the next, updated document under this title “should appear at the end of this year”.

In addition, as part of the implementation of the EU directive, Poland wants to prepare a list of key raw materials for the Polish economy.

– It will be a list, however, clearly different than in the case of critical and strategic raw materials – he noted. The deputy minister explained that the list will count between 40 and 44 raw materials, among which “only a dozen are critical raw materials”.

He announced that the list should appear along with the “state raw material policy” project – that is, at the end of the year.