The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center is pleased to invite you to participate in a private workshop focused on the geopolitics of critical mineral supply chains on the sidelines of the Global Energy Forum, part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Please join us for what is expected to be an insightful and dynamic conversation on Monday, January 18, 2021, from 6 p.m. –  8:00 p.m. EST.

This private workshop will feature keynote remarks from The Hon. Frank Fannon, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources at the US Department of State, as well as from Mr. Kazuaki Kobayashi, Director of the Minerals and Natural Resources Division, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, at the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Innovation. Their remarks will be followed by expert presentations featuring Dr. Morgan Bazilian, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines, Mr. Vivas Kumar, Principal Consultant at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Dr. Michelle Michot-Foss, Fellow in Energy, Minerals, and Metals at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and Dr. Michael Moats, Director of The Thomas J. O’Keefe Institute at the Missouri School of Science and Technology. Mr. Reed Blakemore, Deputy Director at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, will moderate. Throughout the conversation, distinguished panelists will engage with participants in a moderated discussion, and we hope you will offer your insight and input throughout.

The clean energy transition offers profound opportunities to reduce global emissions and improve energy security by offering diverse, low-carbon sources of power. But while these new energy technologies gain momentum, the mineral supply chains that underpin them remain opaque, siloed, and misunderstood. As demand for critical minerals continues to grow, the geopolitics of how these materials are extracted, processed, and transported serve as a foundation for a secure and sustainable energy transition.

At the same time, the United States and its partners must be sure to de-risk the geopolitical and sustainability challenges presented by critical mineral mining and processing. At this stage, however, the lack of knowledge about the mineral lifecycle and the supply chains involved has prohibited the development of a strategy to mitigate those challenges and ensure transparent, open, sustainable, and diverse mineral supply chains. Only when that occurs can the United States and its allies leverage their position as major sources of demand—and in some cases supply—to shape these markets as they continue to mature.

This workshop will be part of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum, which annually convenes in coordination with Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and gathers the world’s top energy and foreign policy decisionmakers to set the global energy agenda for the year ahead and examine the longer-term geopolitical and geoeconomic implications of the changing energy system.

Pleas register below to receive a Zoom entrance link and further information on how to join this event. You will be able to join this conversation via the Zoom web application Zoom, the Zoom desktop or mobile app, and by phone. Participants will be able to join the conversation using the chat feature to submit questions and comments during discussion. After the featured speakers have made their opening remarks, participants will also be welcome to use the ‘raise your hand’ feature, and the moderator will ask them to unmute themselves to ask their question or make a comment.

We look forward to seeing you, and please do not hesitate to reach out to rblakemore@atlanticcouncil.org and zstrauss@atlanticcouncil.org with any questions in advance of the workshop.

Agenda

Keynote remarks featuring

The Hon. Frank Fannon
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources
US Department of Energy

Mr. Kazuaki Kobayashi
Director, Minerals and Natural Resources Division;
Agency for Natural Resources and Energy
Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Innovation

Expert presentations featuring

Dr. Morgan Bazilian
Professor of Public Policy; Director of the Payne Institute
Colorado School of Mines

Mr. Vivas Kumar
Principal Consultant
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Dr. Michelle Michot-Foss
Fellow in Energy, Minerals, and Metals, Baker Institute for Public Policy
Rice University

Dr. Michael Moats
Director, Thomas J. O’Keefe Institute
Missouri School of Science and Technology

Moderated by

Mr. Reed Blakemore
Deputy Director
Atlantic Council Global Energy Center