US DOE Critical Materials List 2023
Pursuant to the Energy Act of 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the 2023 Critical Materials List, which includes materials essential for energy technologies. These materials are identified based on their high risk of supply chain disruption and their critical role in energy production, transmission, storage, and conservation.
Critical Materials for Energy:
- Aluminium
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Dysprosium
- Electrical Steel (grain-oriented, non-grain-oriented, and amorphous steel)
- Fluorine
- Gallium
- Iridium
- Lithium
- Magnesium
- Natural Graphite
- Neodymium
- Nickel
- Platinum
- Praseodymium
- Terbium
- Silicon
- Silicon Carbide
The list also includes 50 critical minerals identified by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2022: Aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barite, beryllium, bismuth, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorspar, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, holmium, indium, iridium, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, neodymium, nickel, niobium, palladium, platinum, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, samarium, scandium, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc and zirconium.
The DOE's assessment methodology is forward-looking, considering global demand trajectories and the material intensity of various energy technologies. This list will guide Critical Materials Research, Development, Demonstration, and Commercial Application (RDD&CA) Program priorities, as well as eligibility for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) 48C tax credit, among others.
As of May 2025, metallurgical coal was added to the DOE’s critical minerals list.
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