Trucks loaded with crushed rock and ore made their way through a craterlike landscape in western Finland, the first place in Europe to house the entire cycle of lithium mining, from mine to refinery. Lithium is critical for the manufacture of modern electronics and has become a strategic resource, with some comparing it to the role that oil played at the start of the 20th century. With China accounting for a majority of world supplies at the moment, countries have raced to develop their own sources.