Batteries for electric cars Brits want to harness huge lithium deposit in Cornwall
To date, the UK has imported 100 percent of its lithium requirements from abroad. Yet huge deposits lie dormant under the English county of Cornwall.
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- A production plant for lithium hydroxide in the UK is the first step towards reducing dependence on imports.
- The batteries are needed for e-cars and other rechargeable devices, for example.
- Until now, all lithium processed in the UK has been imported.
A production plant for lithium hydroxide in the UK will be the first step towards reducing dependence on imports. According to the operating company Cornish Lithium, the English county of Cornwall is home to some of the largest deposits of the raw material required for the production of lithium-ion batteries in the whole of Europe.
The batteries are needed, for example, for electric cars and other rechargeable devices. Until now, all lithium processed in the UK has been imported. However, this is set to change if the Managing Director of Cornish Lithium, Jeremy Wrathall, has his way. According to him, more than half of the annual requirement for the construction of electric cars in the UK could be met from domestic deposits.
The flagship plant in St. Austell, which opens this Friday, is part of a project that aims to produce 10,000 tons of lithium per year by 2027 in a climate-friendly way. The lithium is extracted from granite from an old kaolin mine.
dpa