Economy Minister: Romania has graphite, can produce it, but does not have the technology to exfoliate it

Graphite is the element around which the fight for the control of artificial intelligence is taking place and Romania has this mineral, can produce it, but does not have the technology to exfoliate it, which is why it is discussing with all those who have this technology to choose the best option, said on Wednesday the Minister of Economy, Digitalisation,Entrpreneuriship and Tourism, Radu Miruta.'   'There will be investments in graphite, because it is the element around which the fight for the control of artificial intelligence is taking place.It is a subject of major interest for the entire Globe. The limit of this control is not the amounts of money that a multinational company can pay for some intelligent engineers, but the limit is the raw material, which is called graphite, which is obtained from the exfoliation of graphite, which in Europe is in two places, which in Romania is in only one place and which Romania has the obligation to make use of, not by giving it to others, as some would have expected', said Miruta in a press conference.   He added that a government decision was taken through which licence was given to a company of the Romanian state and all commercial conditions are analysed, so that this mineral be ' used at a correct price and at real strategic importance'.   'For this, we analyse what the Romanian state can do on its own. The exfoliation process for graphite is not a sovereignist one, but one with last generation technology, which Romania does not have, which almost anyone in the world has. Whose who have it are interested to sell it dear or to give it strategically, but those with the technology do not have the mineral. We have the mineral and not the technology. We have to meet somewhere in the middle.   For the first phase where graphite production means a battery factory, this is something Romania can do. For the second phase, the exfoliation of graphite,, at present Romania does not have the technology. And this is why, as minister of economy I am discussing with all entities to collect which are the variants so we choose the best' explained the minister when asked about the discussions referring to graphite which he had with his counterpart from Saudi Arabia.   Between 7 and 11 November, a delegation led by minister Radu Miruta paid a working visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of taking part in the 26 Reunion of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organisation - UN Tourism. On this occasion, the minister discussed with his counterpart, Faisal bin Adhil Al-Ibrahim, minister of economy and planning of Saudi Arabia about opportunities to increase economic cooperation between the two states. The topics approached aimed at investments in graphite, development of some ski areas in Romania but also a direct connection between Romanian sheep and cow breeders and the Saudi Arabian market to eliminate intermediaries who often earn more than those who raise the animals. (Photo:https://economie.gov.ro/)