Cornish Lithium has announced more engagement sessions with the public as it advances its plans to establish Britain’s first lithium plant.
The firm is seeking to provide more information for locals interested in the planned Trelavour Project, based in a disused clay pit near St Austell. Four sessions will be held between September 1st and 17th, with these being held at the Treverbyn Parish Council Office and the Brannel Room in St Stephen respectively.
Chief operating officer at Cornish Lithium Pat Firward said: “These drop-in sessions provide us with an opportunity to explain our next phase of development at the Trelavour Project and offer a forum for members of the community to share their views.”
Gaining the support of local people will be important for any firms producing lithium titanate or any other form of lithium if the UK is to successfully establish a successful domestic mining industry for the material, which will be increasingly important in meeting the need for electric vehicle batteries.
The company also gave an update on its research borehole at Twelveheads, where it has received permission from Cornwall County Council to drill deeper.
Securing a domestic supply of lithium for UK refineries and gigafactories will help ensure the security of Britain’s supplies at a time when countries like China have demonstrated a desire to control the bulk of global production.
Cornwall may not be the only on-land source of lithium in Britain. The discovery of lithium in brine from under the Weardale granite in the north east of England by Weardale Lithium has prompted the recent signing of an agreement with Tees Valley Lithium, which is seeking to build a refinery at the new Tees Valley Freeport in Middlesbrough.
This means that if Weardale lithium can successfully extract commercial quantities of the material from geothermal brines, it will supply it to the Tees Valley refinery.