The Development of GTAP Critical Minerals (GTAP-CM) Data Base

In this paper we introduce the Global Trade Analysis Project Critical Minerals (GTAP-CM) Data Base which is an extension of the GTAP Circular Economy (GTAP-CE) Data Base with 35 additional sectors. The additional sectors are related to the renewable energy value chain, including electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and permanent magnets, as well as mining and refining products used in these sectors. Data reconciliation is implemented using the MSplitCom utility and RAS balancing method, utilizing data inputs on bilateral trade, production, cost and supply structures. We describe how a range of data inputs from various sources are combined, processed and reconciled to generate these data inputs. Trade data at the HS6 level are sourced from the BACI international trade database compiled by CEPII, production data for mining goods are from United States Geological Survey (USGS), data for downstream activities are derived from BloombergNEF, International Energy Agency (IEA) and several other complementary data sources, cost and supply structures are compiled using inputs from the academic literature and technical information. Data processing and reconciliation includes harmonizing units of trade and production data, adjusting the cases of exports exceeding domestic production, and estimating unavailable production values using constrained optimization procedures, among other steps.