Friend-shoring and critical minerals: Exploring the role of the Minerals Security Partnership

As the world moves towards net-zero emissions, ensuring a secure, sustainable, and ethical supply of critical minerals like copper, nickel, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements (REEs) becomes increasingly crucial for clean energy technologies. With China controlling the majority of global critical mineral production and processing, geopolitical competition and concerns about supply chain vulnerabilities are on the rise. This perspective article presents the concept of “friend-shoring” within the context of energy studies, using the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) as a case study to examine its effects on critical mineral supply chains, energy transition, and international energy relations. Although friend-shoring may help alleviate supply chain vulnerabilities for Western nations, the success of the MSP depends on striking a balance between reducing reliance on China and managing the economic costs of alternative initiatives that support national and geopolitical security, all while upholding environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. The article also proposes directions for future research on friend-shoring and the MSP within energy studies, which has the potential to offer valuable insights into their effects on critical minerals supply chains, the energy transition and international energy relations.