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SAFE strengthens critical minerals partnership, bringing leading natural resources investors to strategic dialogue

By 2nd May 2024No Comments
SAFE Appian partnership

Highlights

  • Sub-Committee on Opportunities and Risks in the critical mineral sector (“SCOR”) strengthened with critical minerals and energy transition investors, including Orion Resource Partners, EMR Capital, Engine No. 1, and other leading private equity funds
  • New private sector participants will play an important role in the future success of the initiative to secure an independent and sustainable supply of critical minerals and drive energy security
  • SCOR, established by SAFE and Appian Capital Advisory LLP (“Appian”), will provide research and insights to governments seeking to develop higher-standard global mineral supply chains for the energy transition
  • Partnership held an inaugural meeting with new participants to discuss permitting, export restrictions and investment scoring for critical minerals projects

SAFE’s Center for Critical Mineral Strategy hosted a successful initial meeting of the SAFE-Appian SCOR partnership with the participation of private capital investors in the natural resources and critical minerals sector, including:

  • Orion Resource Partners
  • EMR Capital
  • Engine No. 1
  • Other leading private equity funds

The private sector partners will play an important role in furthering the objectives of SCOR, to advise governments on policies to unlock the private investments needed to bring transparency, resilience, and security to global critical mineral supply chains. Following their appointments, the partnership held its inaugural meeting attended by the new participants, Appian, and Abigail Hunter, Executive Director at the SAFE Center for Critical Minerals Strategy. The meeting covered critical minerals permitting, export restrictions and investment scoring.

SAFE-Appian SCOR partnership

SCOR, founded in February this year in partnership with Appian and Chaired by Dominic Raab MP, Appian’s Senior Strategic Advisor on Global Affairs, has been established to advise SAFE on the regulatory, fiscal, and financial conditions required for successful critical minerals operations. The partnership will provide governments and policy makers with an independent view on risk levels and viability of projects for funding, ensuring better capital and resource allocation to bring critical minerals projects into production.

SCOR’s remit includes developing the scorecard discussed at the partnership’s recent meeting to help decision-makers evaluate the wide range of potential critical minerals sites and provide a shortlist of the most viable targets. This will set out a project risk matrix, including technical, financial, jurisdictional and ESG benchmarks to create an overall score and more granular assessment. For more information on the SCOR partnership, please see here.

Abigal Hunter, Director, SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, said:
“Governments are hungry for concrete recommendations on the actions they can take to bring private capital off the sidelines and de-risk investments in critical minerals projects that will help achieve higher-standard mineral supply chains. SCOR is uniquely positioned to provide these insights and we’re proud of our early progress on bringing further stakeholders to this conversation.

Dominic Raab, Senior Strategic Advisor on Global Affairs at Appian and Chair of the SCOR partnership, said:
“’The first meeting of the SAFE-Appian partnership brought together some of the world’s leading private capital investors in the natural resources and critical minerals space to work with, and advise, US policy-makers. This comes at a crucial time, when expanding collaboration between investors and governments will play a key role in securing the independent and sustainable supply of critical minerals needed to drive energy security and meet decarbonisation targets.

For further information:

SAFE Media Contact:
Leslie Hayward, [email protected] / +1 (202) 461 2386

About SAFE’sCenter for Critical Minerals Strategy
The Ambassador Alfred Hoffman, Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy aims to secure all aspects of the critical minerals supply chain to help ensure the national and economic security of the United States and our allies as we transition from a fossil fuel based economy to a minerals based economy. CCMS is the sole NGO partner for private sector engagement to the State Department through the MINVEST project. The Center is also home to the Sub-Committee on Opportunities and Risks in the Critical Mineral Sector (SCOR) project with Appian Capital.

About SAFE
SAFE is an action-oriented, nonpartisan organization committed to transportation and energy policy solutions that advance the economic and national security of the United States, its partners, and allies. SAFE has convened business and former military leaders since 2004 to advocate for secure, resilient, and sustainable energy solutions. Visit secureenergy.org to learn more.

FGS Global +44 (0)20 7251 3801 / [email protected]
Charles O’Brien, Richard Crowley, Michael Stock

Appian Capital Advisory +44 (0)20 7004 0951 / [email protected]
Andrew Todd, Michael W. Scherb

About Appian Capital Advisory LLP
Appian Capital Advisory LLP is the investment advisor to long-term value-focused private capital funds that invest solely in mining and mining-related companies.

Appian is a leading investment advisor in the metals and mining industry, with global experience across South America, North America, Australia and Africa and a successful track record of supporting companies to achieve their development targets, with a global operating portfolio overseeing nearly 7,000 employees.

Appian has a global team of 81 experienced professionals with presences in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Lima, Belo Horizonte, Montreal, Dubai, Johannesburg and Perth.

For more information please visit www.appiancapitaladvisory.com, or find us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter/X.

You can download a PDF version of this press release here.