Critical Minerals

Critical minerals are high on the political agendas of both producer and consumer states. Their status as critical reflects the key role they play in the technologies that are vital for life today and especially tomorrow. Neither the green energy transition that is necessary to combat climate change nor the exponentially expanding but power-hungry AI economy to which so many states now look for economic growth will be possible without the unfettered availability of this particular group of natural resources. 

Precisely this critical status, of  training course, increases the probability of geopolitical disputes between those who have these minerals and those who need them, and of commercial disputes between those who own these minerals and those whose capital, technology, and expertise is required to find, extract, and process them. 

How will producers and consumers align themselves to ensure that not only their own interests are protected, but also those of all others along emerging value chains? Some of the answers lie in traditional mining contracts as well as arrangements relating to beneficiation, refining, and recycling. Increasingly, however, the stakes are so high that entirely new arrangements are beginning to emerge. Nations and regional blocs are moving from relatively cooperative and outward-looking critical minerals strategies, roadmaps, and partnerships to more inward-looking policies of export restrictions, embargoes, and stockpiling.

One thing is clear: given the looming shadow of climate change and the need to spur economic growth to respond to emerging demographic realities, no one will benefit from arrangements which treat the critical minerals value chain as a zero-sum game. 

What role can law and regulation play in ensuring that the value generated from extraction, refining, transportation, use, and recycling of critical minerals is shared fairly by all stakeholders so that the likelihood of disputes leading to the breakdown of political and commercial agreements is minimized? How can such arrangements be so drafted as to recognise the legitimate concerns of affected parties, not only at the outset but on an ongoing basis in contracts that may endure for decades?

This Critical Minerals training course introduces delegates to the policy, governance, legal, and regulatory dimensions of the critical minerals value chain. Beginning with an overview of the minerals themselves, the training course highlights how the nature of the resources and the uses to which they can be put impact their treatment in policy and legal settings. It will consider fundamental licensing and contractual arrangements, as well as finance and funding, before reviewing trade, investment protection, and dispute resolution, and concluding with a discussion of the environmental and social dimensions.

This Critical Minerals training course is designed to be practical while ensuring that participants understand the link between the nature and uses of the natural resources in question and the policy, governance, legal, and regulatory interests of the various parties in the value chain.

This Critical Minerals training course will highlight:

• Introduction to the Critical Minerals Value Chain
• Key Legal and Fiscal Arrangements
• Finance and Funding
• Trade, Investment Protection, Dispute Resolution
• Environment, Decommissioning, Remediation

Participants will have a working knowledge of the policy, governance, legal, and regulatory issues relating to the critical minerals value chain and how to apply this knowledge in practice.

At the end of this Critical Minerals training course, you will understand:

• What critical minerals are and their significance for the energy and digital transitions
• The legal and fiscal arrangements required to enable their extraction and refining
• The finance and funding arrangements relevant to critical minerals projects
• Trade and investment protection considerations as well as the means available to resolve disputes
• Environmental, decommissioning, and remediation considerations in critical minerals developments

This PetroKnowledge Critical Minerals training course is suitable to a wide range of professionals, but will greatly benefit:

• Policymakers, Ministerial, and Ministerial Committee Levels
• Governing Body and CEO Levels
• Executive Management and Directors
• Contract Negotiators and Managers
• Legal Managers, Legal Counsel
• Commercial, Financial, and Business Managers

Participants will gain greater understanding of the subject matter through presentations by an experienced international expert designed to inform and broaden their perspectives. Case studies will be reviewed and discussed bearing in mind some of the realistic scenarios participants may encounter. An interactive approach encourages discussion of problems and possible solutions.