The European Union is increasingly concerned about its dependence on China for lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. This is confirmed by a report presented to EU leaders.
This report warns that if strict measures are not taken by 2030, Europe’s dependence on China for these components could be as great as it was on Russia for energy before the conflict in Ukraine.
The document suggests Concerns about China’s growing global influence and economic clout. European leaders will discuss the European Commission’s proposals at a meeting scheduled for October 5 in Granada, Spain.
This will increase the need to diversify towards Africa and Latin America to reduce the risk of over-dependence on China.
A demand that can be multiplied by 30
The research leading to the report presented in the European Union shows that due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources such as solar or wind Europe needs energy storage means and achieve its goal of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
And this will cause demand for lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells and electrolysis to skyrocket. will multiply 10 to 30 times in the coming years.
Currently, Europe is extremely competitive in the electrolysis industry, accounting for more than half of the global market. It looks completely different there Fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries Greetings. Something that is bound to have a direct impact on the electric vehicle industry.
The report warns that without the implementation of strict measures by 2030, the European energy ecosystem could become dependent on China in a different way but with China a severity that resembled dependence on Russia before the invasion of Ukraine.
According to the European Commission, the EU imported more than 40% of its total gas consumption, 27% of oil imports and 46% of coal imports from Russia in 2021, the year before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The loss of most energy purchases from Russia caused a shock to energy prices in the EU and a Rise in consumer inflation forcing the European Central Bank to raise interest rates significantly, slowing economic growth.
Europe is also vulnerable in other sectors
The report also highlights that lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells are not the EU’s only vulnerabilities.
Specifically, there is a warning about a similar scenario in the area Digital technology with increasing demand for devices such as sensors, drones, data servers, storage devices and data transmission networks over the next decade.
Although the EU has a relatively strong position in this last aspect, it has significant weaknesses in other areas.
By 2030, this external dependence could seriously hinder and complicate the productivity gains that European industry and services urgently need Modernization of agricultural systems essential for combating climate change.
