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In Q&A, Energy secretary says low U.S. gas prices, permitting and interconnection are keys to reshoring critical-minerals processing
Summary
Asked about critical minerals and competitiveness, Secretary Chris Wright said the U.S. benefits from low industrial natural gas prices but needs faster permitting and quicker grid interconnections to attract processing and manufacturing investment.
At the Cato Institute event, Jay Consara of Sensei asked how the administration should reconcile rising energy prices with efforts to cut China’s dominance in critical-mineral processing.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright replied that natural gas prices in the United States are among the world’s lowest for industrial heat and chemical feedstocks, which gives a cost advantage for domestic processing. He said the larger barrier is regulatory and logistical: permitting is slow, interconnection timelines are long, and companies need access to long-term, competitive electricity contracts.
Wright recommended reforms to speed permitting and grid interconnection, and he said reshoring manufacturing and data centers (which bring demand) can help lower electricity prices by incentivizing new capacity. "It's expensive to get permits. It's slow to get a new electricity interconnection," he said, adding that faster, clearer permitting and market reforms could drive investment into U.S. processing facilities.
Why it matters: Critical-minerals processing and the broader supply chain are strategic for batteries, semiconductors and other technologies. Wright tied competitiveness to both energy costs and administrative processes rather than to a single single-price determinant.
The exchange was conversational and part of audience Q&A; no new federal program or rulemaking was announced on stage.
