Industry: Critical minerals

Demand for critical minerals has been accelerating rapidly over the past few years, driven by escalating growth in electric vehicles, renewable energy, defense, and advanced technologies. However, while demand continues to expand, the supply chain remains heavily concentrated in China, which dominates up to 90% of mining, refining, and processing. This imbalance has amplified geopolitical […]

The green hydrogen dream is currently facing a difficult reality: electrolysers are expensive to build and operate, and many projects are struggling to secure the high utilization required for a bankable business case, often due to a lack of immediate, large-scale hydrogen demand. These plants have high upfront capital costs, and if they sit idle, the financial […]

On June 27, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in Cactus Water Services, LLC v. COG Operating, LLC. It declared that produced water is oil & gas waste and therefore belongs to the hydrocarbon lessee i.e. oil & gas operator typically. This landmark decision clarifies that the right to produce oil & gas inherently includes […]

Electric vehicles (EVs) demand continues to grow, albeit at a slightly slower pace, as ADI has reported previously.  Policy support, falling battery pack and cell prices, rising consumer interest, and innovation by automotive OEMs are all driving this growth resulting in concerns on whether there is enough supply of various critical minerals including  lithium, nickel, and other critical minerals. […]

The demand for lithium is on the rise due to its role as a crucial component in electric vehicle (EV) batteries and energy storage systems.  Major oil and gas companies such as Equinor and ExxonMobil are seizing opportunities in this growing market. ExxonMobil is constructing a lithium production facility in Arkansas and has recently secured […]

On November 5th Americans will vote for their next president. This election can feel like déjà vu, as the two main candidates are the same as in 2020. According to current polls and reports, the race is expected to be tight. The first debate is scheduled for June 27th and might help inform voters – […]

In a previous blog post, ADI discussed the highly carbon-intensive cement production process and highlighted that the clinker production process is where the majority of CO2 emissions occur. Clinker production emissions primarily result from the calcination process, followed by the use of fossil fuels to meet the energy demand for calcination. Consequently, these areas have […]

While the broader sentiment around energy transition turned more pessimistic in 2023, investments in clean energy and related technologies still increased by more than 20%. This included renewables, biofuels, and a wide range of low-carbon solutions. Despite this growth, we anticipate a more measured pace of progress in 2024, as reflected in the following themes: Overall, 2024 shapes up to be a […]

Demand for lithium from the EV industry is growing rapidly as the energy transition moves forward. One of the interesting things for the U.S., is that the production of EV batteries for this industry is being onshored, partly due to the growing market and partly due to provisions of the recently enacted IRA place sourcing […]

One of the biggest challenges to renewable energy projects is the intermittency of these resources; the sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow. These challenges have been made apparent around the world from wind droughts in Europe to winter storms in Texas. One solution to this challenge is expanding grid-scale energy storage […]

The global mining sector had a wild ride in 2022, plagued by supply-chain and labor shortages and geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upended markets, sending many commodities to record highs, only then to fall quickly. Several nations issued wide-ranging sanctions against Russia and further sanctions are still being debated as the conflict […]

The energy transition continued to move full steam ahead in 2022 with passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022 kicking it into full gear. This monumental legislation supplemented the previous Infrastructure, Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), passed in 2021 and provided unprecedented funding to clean energy and climate initiatives. These incentives include […]