The Fuse

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A Pony with Multiple Tricks: Why Transmission is America’s Energy Security Secret Advantage

America is amidst an energy revolution, and we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to control our destiny and realize an energy independent economy. One piece of overlooked infrastructure holds the key: high-voltage electric transmission.

topics: Electric grid, Grid Security

Watch: Untangling the U.S. Government’s Many Critical Minerals and Materials Lists

Watch the SAFE Center for Critical Minerals Strategy's recent webinar which convened experts from the Department of the Interior, Energy, and Defense for a webinar examining the U.S. government’s many critical minerals and materials lists to get clarity about how various departments determine what gets included on these lists and how the different methodologies may change in the future.

topics: critical materials, critical minerals, supply chains

One Year Later, The IRA Is Working

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Biden on August 16, 2022, was the most significant signal of support for the transition to electric vehicles by the federal government. It serves as a critical part of the effort to achieve the Biden Administration’s goal that 50 percent of all new vehicles sold in 2030 are electric—an essential step toward reducing the United States’ dependence on oil.

topics: Electrifcation, Energy, IRA, security

Deep-Sea Mining: State of Play

Lying on the abyssal plains of oceans at depths of 3,500-6,000 meters, polymetallic nodules contain essential minerals used in the electric vehicle batteries fueling the energy transition. Enriched in manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt, nodule fields of interest have been identified in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), Penrhyn Basin, and Peru Basin of the Pacific Ocean as well as in the north Indian Ocean. Reserves of certain critical minerals found in the CCZ alone have been estimated to surpass global terrestrial reserves.

topics: Materials, Minerals