Unlocking the UK’s critical mineral potential: Identifying and overcoming non-technical barriers in the domestic critical mineral sector

Critical minerals – such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and tin – are essential to the UK’s clean energy transition and long‑term economic resilience. As demand accelerates, the UK has an opportunity to develop a domestic critical minerals sector that supports Net Zero ambitions and aligns with the 2025 Critical Minerals Strategy. While much attention has focused on technical challenges, less is understood about the broader foundations needed for a well-functioning critical minerals innovation ecosystem. This report finds that, despite strong geological potential and increasing industry activity, these wider ecosystem elements are not yet in place to support development at scale.

Drawing on in‑depth evidence from tin, geothermal lithium and nickel projects in Cornwall and Aberdeenshire, we highlight the real‑world challenges faced by industry. Interviews with companies, regulators, local authorities and other stakeholders reveal a set of interconnected non‑technical barriers, from complex mineral rights and planning delays to skills shortages, infrastructure gaps and community engagement challenges. These barriers do not act in isolation. They accumulate across the project lifecycle, increasing cost, uncertainty and risk, and ultimately determining whether projects progress or fail.

The report identifies priority actions to unlock the sector, including improving transparency around mineral rights, strengthening planning and regulatory capacity, supporting early‑stage exploration, investing in processing and infrastructure and building stronger relationships with communities. Delivering these changes will require coordinated action across government, industry and local stakeholders. With the right framework in place, the UK can build a competitive, responsible critical minerals sector – supporting Net Zero, enhancing supply chain resilience and creating long‑term economic value.

Download the full-report on the right-hand side of this webpage.

Interactive model

The project team also developed an interactive tool to bring these findings to life. The model visualises the eight non-technical barriers using a dynamic chart, showing how each barrier manifests across different metals and regions and indicating relative risk levels from low to high. Click on each barrier to explore detailed insights. You can also explore the mining project lifecycle for each metal, with insights into how risks evolve at different stages and the mitigation actions that can support project development.