Remining for the energy transition

Governments and companies are increasingly exploring the option to use materials contained in operating, closed or abandoned mine sites via remining. Remining uses mine waste as a source material to extract minerals, metals, or other materials of economic value.

In this joint briefing, Earthworks, Transport & Environment and Earthjustice present policy recommendations for safe remining practices,, as well as outline remining’s associated risks.

The briefing highlights the potential to leverage remining to meet some of the demand for metals and minerals. Preliminary data shows promising potential: in Europe for example remined cobalt could power more than 185,000 EVs. However, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the availability of metals at mine waste sites.

The summary of a 2023 study looking at remining in the context of metals needed for the energy transition is also available for download.