With a dramatic decrease now being seen in the number of petrol and diesel cars on UK roads, it’s time for electric cars to really take centre stage
9, a:1:{i:0;s:8:”defaults”;}, conveyor belt PU blades, Funding Boost For Hard Rock Lithium Extraction In Cornwall, With a dramatic decrease now being seen in the number of petrol and diesel cars on UK roads, it’s time for electric cars to really take centre stage, With a dramatic decrease now being seen in the number of petrol and diesel cars on UK roads, it’s time for electric cars to really take centre stage, with sales of zero emission vehicles rising by almost 160 per cent.
In order to maintain the car industry and ensure that this trend continues, more lithium is required, a highly reactive and light metal that’s perfect for use in batteries for electric cars.
The UK currently only has one large lithium-ion battery plant (also known as gigafactories), although there are several that have already been built or are already under construction in the rest of Europe.
But now British Lithium Limited (BLL), the first UK company to explore for hard rock lithium, has been awarded £500,000 in match grant funding from the government so it can progress its research and development of hard rock lithium extraction in Cornwall.
The company’s managing director Andrew Smith said: “The amount of lithium we are planning to produce annually will be a major step forward in attracting more battery manufacturers and maintaining our car industry.
“If batteries are not made in the UK, car makers are likely to continue investing in EV production in Europe, because that’s where the gigafactories are. Yet Europe isn’t actually producing any battery-grade lithium so achieving that in Cornwall would give the UK as a whole, a huge competitive advantage.”
BLL first began its drilling programme in April last year following years of research and metallurgical testwork. Some five months later, further trenching took place, followed by a 24-hour diamond core drilling programme in December.
Chairman Roderick Smith made further comments, saying that a unique process for extraction from micaceous granite has been developed following years of research and the company now has its own laboratory in Roche, with the aim being to build a quarry and refinery in Cornwall, capable of producing 20,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate a year.
According to lithium mine project developer Jeremy Wrathall, the UK will need between 50,000 and 60,000 mt/year of lithium carbonate equivalent for battery production if the government’s goal of producing only electric vehicles by 2035 is to be met, assuming production continues at approximately 1.2 million cars annually.
Lithium hasn’t been mined in the UK since around 1914, when it was produced as a component for fireworks in Cornwall. BLL now hopes to start construction on its quarry and refinery within three years, while Mr Wrathall’s Cornish Lithium recently raised £826,000 from shareholders to continue with resource modelling and early feasibility studies.
Government support is, however, essential for the emergence of an EV raw materials and value chain in the UK, otherwise the country’s automotive sector could disappear completely.
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