MELBOURNE, June 14 (Reuters) - Australian lender ANZ Group (ANZ.AX) is looking at opportunities to invest more in the critical minerals sector as part of its efforts to support decarbonisation and has recently backed its first stand-alone lithium deal, an executive said on Wednesday. ANZ has traditionally supported long-life, low-risk mine projects for Australia's staple resources including iron ore, gold, aluminium, copper and nickel, said Simon Arduca, ANZ's executive director of resources, energy and infrastructure. We have a goal to be a leader in environmental sustainability and that then feeds into critical minerals." ANZ, however, has just financed a stand-alone lithium mine, Arduca told a panel at a mining conference in Melbourne, declining to provide further details. Green finance, where companies that meet certain sustainability milestones can get access to lower lending rates has not really yet entered the mining sector, but will in time, he added.

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Persons: Simon Arduca, Arduca, Melanie Burton, Jamie Freed Organizations: MELBOURNE, ANZ Group, Wednesday, ANZ, Thomson Locations: decarbonisation, Australia, Melbourne, Green