What assessment has the Welsh Government made of Wales's tin reserves to used in electric car technology?
The Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs is responsible for minerals planning in Wales and the British Geological Survey was commissioned to produce Mineral Resources Maps for Wales in 2009. These maps indicate the sporadic and limited nature of metallic minerals in Wales. They can be accessed at the following link:
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/planning/resource.html
The expansion of new and ‘green’ technologies is increasing demand for a range of metals which have hitherto been little used, including cobalt, rare earths, lithium, indium and the platinum group of metals. The EU Raw Materials Initiative and the UK Security of Supply of Minerals Resources Programme both seek to ensure access to materials in the international market. They also provide early warning monitoring of materials which are of limited availability and where disruption of supply may have a high impact. This includes critical raw materials such as rare earths which are used in wind turbines and in the motors of electric cars.