Green Lithium has been granted planning permission from Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council to build a lithium refinery.
The facility will manufacture concentrated lithium hydroxide monohydrate on a 58-acre site within the PD Ports Teesport complex at Kinkerdale Road, Teesport. Green Lithium says the battery-metal supply chain is dominated by East Asia and there is no refining capability in Europe despite a significant market opportunity. The new facility will support the automotive and battery manufacturing industries in the UK and the EU, as the demand for lithium processing capabilities increases due to the global shift to electric vehicles (EVs). It estimates that by 2030, the overall European market alone will require 800,000 tonnes of refined lithium per year.
The company claims the refinery will use a non-acid leach process that has low environmental impact. Using low-energy processes, renewable electricity, hydrogen gas and carbon capture technology it aims to achieve a 75% lower carbon footprint than traditional refineries.