Cornwall mining project to supply key ingredient need by electric car industry

A scheme which will see the mining of a key component in electric cars has been announced in Cornwall.

The joint venture between clay company Imerys and British Lithium will see the duo operate the UK’s “leading lithium hub” within five years.

If all goes to plan the scheme will generate enough lithium carbonate to supply 500,000 electric cars with the component per year by the end of the decade.

The project has the potential to create at least 300 direct jobs and bring in millions of pounds of investment.

There are enough deposits to last 30 years and produce 20,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate each year.

The mine would be able to supply two-thirds of Britain’s estimated battery demand by 2030.
A spokesperson said drilling and exploration had been carried out since 2017 and a process and pilot plant had been developed.

A statement 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.”

The project is being backed by Innovate UK and the Automotive Transformation Fund, a program to support the electrification of vehicles and their supply chains in the UK.

Mark Hewson, leader of Imerys business in the UK, said: “We’re taking the crushed material, we’re putting it through a series of mechanical processes which is sieving, and that creates a concentrate.

“We’re then able to take that concentrate, mix it with other materials and create a pellet form, which we then roast at a very, very high temperature.

“That creates and extracts the lithium and puts it into a water soluble form – we’re then able to refine that which can then go to battery manufacturers.”

 LEP Chief Executive Glenn Caplin-Grey said: “This is a huge step forward in Cornwall’s ambitions to underpin a UK-based lithium battery industry and highlights Cornwall’s crucial role in the domestic supply of critical minerals essential to the energy transition.

 “It reinforces why harnessing the power of Cornwall is essential to the UK’s journey to net zero, not just in the production of lithium and other minerals like tin and tungsten, but also floating wind power from the Celtic Sea, deep geothermal energy and biofuels derived from agriculture.

“We congratulate Imerys and British Lithium on this landmark deal which is a turning point in the sustainable extraction of critical minerals in Cornwall.”

Kemi Badenoch, business and trade secretary, said: “This joint venture between Imerys and British Lithium will strengthen our domestic supply of critical minerals, which is vitally important as we seek to grow the UK’s advanced manufacturing industry and help create the jobs of the future.”