Inventory of Critical Raw Materials Potential in the Netherlands' Subsurface'
Opportunities for identifying new resources of critical raw materials (CRM) that are important for the economy, defence, and the energy transition, but whose supply is not always certain, appear to be limited in the Netherlands. Some of these materials could perhaps be extracted in the Netherlands, in co-production with existing underground activities. Opportunities for extracting CRM in the Netherlands is assessed in the National Exploration Programme (NEP) by the Netherlands Materials Observatory (NMO) on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZ) and as part of a broader European inventory.
The European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) of 2024 stipulates that 10 percent of critical raw materials should be extracted within the EU. The EU has therefore asked all member states to make an inventory of which critical raw materials are present in the soil.
The NMO report suggests that standalone extraction of most CRM is unlikely to be feasible due to the limited economic potential in the Dutch underground. However, it is worth investigating whether CRM can be extracted during activities intended for other purposes, such as titanium from sand excavations or lithium from groundwater pumped up from geothermal wells. Some minerals containing CRM, in particular magnesium salts and silica sand, are already being extracted in the Netherlands and could serve as base materials to produce magnesium and silicon metal.
Before any of the identified options can be realised, considerable research is still required. The NMO therefore advises the government to further investigate and assess the CRM potential of the Dutch subsurface.
About the NMO
The Netherlands Materials Observatory collects, manages and provides data, information and knowledge on critical raw materials and their supply chains. This way it contributes to a responsive and resilient economy and society. The NMO works with the national government, industry, and knowledge institutes, in the Netherlands and internationally.
Read the report 'Critical Raw Materials Potential in the Netherlands' Subsurface'.