The world's growing dependence on a single country for critical minerals presents a serious risk to energy security and could lead to international tensions as early as 2026, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, warned on Wednesday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Birol recalled that one country holds a dominant position in critical minerals, with control in the 70% to 80% range, calling the imbalance one of the most serious risks facing the global energy system.
"It is not right to depend on one country," Birol said. "The golden rule of energy security is diversification. You need to reduce risks by sourcing oil, natural gas, critical minerals and nuclear fuel from as many different countries as possible."
"I think there could be serious tensions between countries over critical minerals in 2026," he added.
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