But Sudol doubts recycling would satisfy the demand for batteries.
The global population is growing and people want cell phones, cars,
urban transportation and a higher standard of living—all of this
is metal intensive, says Sudol. If we can’t dig for these metals
in a place like Quebec, which has strong restoration policies and
labour laws, “then where on Earth are we going to get these metals?”
he asks.
In other words, as long as car companies and cell phone companies
are clamoring for battery metals, Sudol sees only two options:
child miners in the DRC or rule of law in Quebec.
A small town in Northern Quebec could hold the keys to a future where electric vehicles are the norm.
A Toronto-based mining company called RNC Minerals Corporation wants to build a “battery metals” mine near Amos, Quebec, a town of less than 13,000 people that sits on the largest untouched deposit of nickel sulphide and cobalt in the world, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data cited by a company report.
It’s a combination of resources that car companies would love to get their hands on as they scramble to source metals for batteries to power electric vehicles. RNC Minerals is well-positioned to capitalize on the $90 billion “investment tsunami” that Reuters predicts is coming to the electric vehicle market, but critics worry that the massive open-pit mine would create more problems than it would solve.
The revolution is coming
Electric vehicles are projected to make up 54 percent of car sales by 2040, according to a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. In order for those cars to run, they’re going to need cobalt and other metals like nickel sulphide.
Over 60 percent of the world’s cobalt is currently mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is plagued by political turmoil and child labour.
For the rest of this article: https://news.vice.com/en_ca/article/paq8k9/the-tar-sands-of-the-nickel-industry