In March 2022 on On the Rocks, Emily King chatted with Todd Malan, Chief External Affairs Officer and Head of Climate Strategy at Talon Metals Corp.
Emily and Todd start off with a lesson in critical minerals. What are they, why are they important, and why are people paying close attention to them? Todd points out the biggest distinction between oil and gas and mineral sectors - the fact that minerals are usually able to be recycled.
“Critical minerals is basically an area where you have a crucial role in an industrial sector or in defense, and a problem around security and supply.”
Talon Metals is developing the Tamarack Nickel Deposit in Minnesota, which in January signed an offtake agreement with major EV manufacturer Tesla. This agreement has Talon supplying 75,000 tonnes of nickel in concentrate to Tesla for further processing.
“The arrangement with Tesla is really unique, we were allowed by Tesla to call it a partnership, … and we really do view it as a partnership going forward. The auto sector in particular is kind of moving in that direction, and I think Tesla is at the forefront of that but you can see other auto manufacturers not just working with the market but actually going to the mine gate to make sure they have the material they need.”
Electric vehicles can take up to 6 times the mineral inputs of a conventional car. Where do these materials come from? Why is domestic supply important? How can mines capture and store carbon? Let’s dig in!