The geopolitics of energy transition: new resources and technologies

Critical raw materials such as rare earths, lithium and cobalt are essential for the energy transition and new technologies. These materials can be found in high geographic concentration. This has fuelled competition among international actors to secure access to them. The transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to systems based on renewable energy requires the development of new energy grids and storage capacity to optimise energy production and distribution. Many countries plan to develop the production of hydrogen from several fossil and non-fossil sources. This chapter reviews these technological developments and assesses their geopolitical implications. It argues that the energy transition will lead to a progressive reconfiguration of energy geopolitics. The ‘old’ geopolitics of fossil fuels, featuring gas pipelines and choke points at sea for oil transportation, will coexist with and slowly be replaced by more decentralised forms of energy production and a new competition to secure critical raw materials.