Drought-Stricken Morocco Faces Water Strain from Electric Vehicle Metal Production

Producing more cobalt, lithium or graphite could harm the water resources of some electric vehicle producing countries like Morocco, where drought has been raging for two years. As an example, it takes 130 to 270 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of copper, 100 to 1,700 liters for 1 kg of nickel, and 2,000 liters for 1 kg of lithium, reports Reporterre.

Water scarcity is the main threat to the mining and metallurgy sector, confirms a survey by the American rating agency Fitch Ratings. "Pressures on the resource, such as localized water shortages and use conflicts, are likely to increase in the decades to come, increasingly hampering the production of batteries and low-carbon technologies," it explains.

In Morocco, hit by a severe drought for two years with temperatures that can reach around 45°C, the Bou Azzer cobalt mine used for the production of batteries for BMW and Renault from 2025, would use an amount of water equivalent to the consumption of 50,000 inhabitants. The manganese mines of Imini and the copper mines of Bleida also require as much water resources.

"It is a terrible waste to have to mobilize the energy and materials necessary for the construction and movement of 1.5 or 2 tons, to ultimately transport most of the time only a hundred kilograms of passengers and luggage," explains Philippe Bihouix, an engineer specializing in raw materials, who calls for reducing the size of electric vehicles, and therefore reducing the need for metals.