One of the main subjects was the rapidly growing demand for various metals in Europe as a result of the green transition and the move towards carbon neutrality. Energy storage, wind turbines and solar panels, as well as other technological solutions that have become commonplace, require increasing amounts of various rare metals. "Part of this growing need for metals can and must be met by recycling and the circular economy, but if we really want to move forward with the green transition as quickly as possible, it is also necessary to study what metals our seabed and Earth's crust contain," explained Sirli Sipp Kulli, Director of the Geological Survey of Estonia.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine shows that we in Europe urgently need to reduce our dependence on oil and gas, as well as on Russia's metal raw materials. Knowing exactly what the Earth’s crust in Estonia contains will allow us to make wiser decisions in the future about whether and what to mine. Finland's experience shows that thorough exploration and mapping of Earth's crust adds significant value to the society. The mining of various rare metals supports innovation and export as well as local industries in Finland. For example, Finland has a national strategy – the "National Battery Strategy 2025" – to increase Finland's capacity for different energy storage capabilities. As Estonia has done very little exploration of the Earth's crust in recent decades, we have a lot to learn from our northern neighbours," Sirli Sipp Kulli added.
