Poland launches national critical raw materials exploration program

The Polish Council of Ministers has adopted the National Critical Raw Materials Exploration Program (KPPSK), a multi-year initiative designed to identify new mineral deposits essential for modern industries. The program aims to support sectors such as battery technology, automotive, electronics, renewable energy, medical equipment, and defense.

Implemented in accordance with the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), the initiative seeks to reduce Poland and the EU’s dependence on third-party countries and mitigate risks to strategic supply chains. The exploration efforts are divided into three priority levels:

• Group I (High Priority): Copper ores, platinum group metals, graphite, barite, fluorite, helium, and feldspar. • Group II (Medium Priority): Tungsten, titanium, vanadium, arsenic, bismuth, metallic silicon, phosphorites, strontium, and new sources of coking coal. • Group III (Low Priority): Rare earth metals, gallium, germanium, lithium, hafnium, boron, antimony, and scandium.

The program, spanning 2026 to 2033, has a total budget of approximately 185.7 million PLN. Funding will be provided by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. The Polish Geological Institute (PIG-PIB) will serve as the executor of the geological research tasks.