The UK has launched its first Critical Minerals Strategy, while the US has developed an Industrial Strategy and the EU has announced its European Critical Raw Material Act. Canada and Australia are also following suit.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the ensuing war has focused minds on the metals supply chain for rare earths, battery raw materials, the so-called green technology metals and critical minerals as the restrictions on gas supplies and the demand for modern weaponry focuses minds.

Deadlines to meet net carbon zero targets are also fast-approaching and governments have come late to the table to address how they ensure supplies of metals are available that are needed to support mass electrification.

This one-and-a-half-day event will look at what governments are doing? Is it enough? What obstacles does government intervention pose to free markets? What policy should be developed? Can regulation be simplified to encourage investment? How is the industry responding to supply chain concerns? What are the implications of ESG?

We’ll look at a range of policy areas and metals to explore the issues of how we ensure security of supply and the impact that geopolitical concerns in terms of defence and energy and bringing to rare earths and energy transition metals. Are we achieving our net zero targets? Are we close to achieving security of supply?

How do we ensure security of supply in an age of geopolitical uncertainty? Restoring supply chain certainty for energy?

Wednesday March 22

12:30-13.30 – Registration and Lunch

Session 1: Critical metal policy – what are the options
13:30 Conference welcome by Rachel Carnac, Joint Managing Director, Metal Events Limited, UK;
13:35 Introduction by The Rt Hon The Baroness Northover, Critical Minerals All Party Parliamentary Group, House of Lords, UK;

13:45 Welcome by Alexander Stafford MP, Vice Chair, Critical Minerals All Party Parliamentary Group, House of Commons, UK;
13:55 “Challenges and opportunities the energy transition represents for metals and mining”, by Nick Pickens, Research Director, Global Mining, Wood Mackenzie, UK;
14:25 “Geopolitics of critical materials”, by Jack Bedder, Founder & Director, Project Blue, UK
14:55 “UK critical minerals policy”, by Joseph Mansour, Lead, Critical Minerals International Delivery, International Energy Unit, FCDO-DESNZ, UK;
15:25  “An update on Australia’s critical minerals policy and initiatives”,  by Ana Nishnianidze, Trade Commissioner, Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), UK;

15:55 “Trans-Atlantic collaboration on critical minerals policy”, by Alex Simakov, Senior Research Fellow, Energy & Environment, Policy Exchange, UK;

16:25-17:15– Panel Discussion – with above participants
17:15-19:00 Networking drinks reception for all attendees

Thursday March 23

Session 2: Advanced Technologies and Critical Metals
09:30 “The impact of net zero and critical mineral strategies on the super-alloys industry”, by Stephen Hall, Managing Director, Advanced Alloys Ltd, UK;
10:00 “Developing international supply chains”, by Charles Douglas-Hamilton, Managing Director, Optiva Resources Limited
10:30 “Recovering secondary raw materials from e-waste and role in the CRM value chain”, by Julie-Ann Adams, CEO, EERA;
11:00 “Closing the gap – the role of UK midstream players in onshoring the critical minerals strategy”, by David Hawkins, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, Metalysis, UK;
11.30 Panel Discussion – with above participants
12:00-13:15 Luncheon

Session 3: Critical metals and the energy transition – Chairman: Gareth Hatch, Managing Director of Strategic Materials Advisory, UK;
13:15 “The key steps to developing independent sustainable rare earths supply chains”, by Dudley Kingsnorth, Non Executive Chairman, Australian Rare Earths, Australia;
13:45 “Developing a European rare earths supply chain”, by William Izod, Chief Commercial Officer, Pensana, UK;
14:15 “ESG and CRM – how will the UK dynamise the supply chain”, by Jeff Townsend, Co-Founder Critical Materials Association, UK;
14:45 Panel Discussion – with above participants
15:30 Tea and Close

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