Australia’s renewable energy transition is accelerating, but behind every solar panel, wind turbine and battery storage system sits the primary ingredient for decarbonisation: Critical minerals. As electrification expands across the National Electricity Market and transport sector, minerals such as copper are becoming increasingly vital to supporting the technologies underpinning Australia’s shift to clean energy.
Recent record resource export figures from South Australia, including $3 billion in copper shipments, highlight the growing economic and strategic importance of minerals central to renewable energy deployment. Copper, in particular, is a foundational material across the clean energy supply chain due to its superior electrical conductivity, durability and efficiency.
The metal plays a critical role in solar panels and inverters, enabling efficient electricity conversion and transport. In wind turbines, copper is essential for power generation and transmission, while in battery storage systems it is used in foils and busbars to store and safely distribute energy. Copper is also integral to expanding transmission networks, substations and smart grid technologies required to deliver renewable electricity at scale. Beyond stationary infrastructure, electric vehicles and charging networks rely heavily on copper, often using significantly more than conventional internal combustion vehicles.
More broadly, critical minerals are essential to the technologies that power modern economies, from consumer electronics and defence systems to renewable energy infrastructure. Recognising this, countries including Australia maintain evolving lists of critical minerals and strategic materials based on supply risks, economic priorities and future technology demand.
Tasmania is emerging as a key contributor to Australia’s critical minerals capability. With a complex geological setting and long-established mining expertise, the state hosts an abundance of strategic materials and is positioning itself to support both domestic and international supply chains.
The Tasmanian Government, alongside Mineral Resources Tasmania, is investing in initiatives designed to accelerate exploration, extraction and processing. These include the provision of precompetitive datasets, the Exploration Drilling Grant Initiative, and the $3 million Critical Minerals Initiative supporting prospectivity models, deposit atlases, expanded 3D geological modelling, historic core sampling and deposit research. A feasibility study is also underway to assess the viability of a Common User Processing Facility, aimed at strengthening local processing capability and value-adding opportunities.
Supporting these initiatives, Tasmania released its Critical Minerals Strategy in 2024, outlining commitments to grow exploration, support project development, increase on-island processing and expand trade and investment opportunities. The state’s Critical Minerals Prospectus, released in late 2025, further positions Tasmania as an attractive destination for investment across early-stage exploration through to advanced project development.
As Australia progresses towards its renewable energy targets, strengthening critical minerals supply chains will be essential to ensuring energy security, economic growth and the successful delivery of the nation’s clean energy transition.