These means that the site could be mined for more than 30 years at a production rate of 20,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent per year, potentially enough to equip 500,000 electrical vehicles per year, meeting around two-thirds of Britain’s estimated battery demand by 2030 when UK car manufacturers convert to electric vehicles.
The land is owned by French materials specialist Imerys which has acquired an 80% stake in British Lithium, which already runs a pilot plant on the site to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. It receives financial support from Innovate UK and the Automotive Transformation Fund, a funding program to support the electrification of vehicles and their supply chains in the UK.
“The transaction will bring together Imerys’ expertise in mining, infrastructure in Cornwall, R&D and process development capabilities, as well as its lithium mineral resources, with British Lithium’s bespoke technology and state-of-the-art lithium pilot plant,” a press release said.
“This venture will reduce the UK’s and Europe’s dependence on critical raw materials imports, thus contributing to the achievement of the European and British climate change targets and the creation of the first fully integrated regional electrical vehicle value chain.”
Imerys also owns a lithium mine in Allier, France, which combined with the mine in Cornwall would make it the largest integrated lithium producer in Europe, representing more than 20% of the announced European lithium output by 2030.
