The Duchy of Cornwall has been highlighted by the government as a mining spot with high investment potential. The Department of International Trade (DIT) considers Cornwall’s mining industry as having the potential to supply over half of the UK’s demand for lithium and other minerals used in high-tech products.
As Cornish Lithium successfully completes its test site for low-carbon direct lithium extraction (DLE) from geothermal waters on the United Downs Deep Geothermal Project site, the nation is slowly shifting towards a greener way of living, and the identification and responsible mining of battery minerals will become key to the energy demands of the future, according to the DIT.
The need for lithium, as well as other minerals crucial for technology, is expected to increase fourfold over the next six years, and there is a predicted deficit of copper of 327,000 tonnes by 2022.
However, Cornwall is one of the most highly mineralised areas in the UK, boasting an abundance of high-grade lithium, tin, copper, and tungsten. Along with the world-class china clay operations and the long-developed mining skills in the area, Cornwall is a prime location for the exploration and extraction of technology metals to meet the growing demand.
Lithium mining in Cornwall could potentially supply two-thirds of the UK’s lithium needs, about the same as a million electric vehicles per year.
Mining research and development company Cornish Lithium recently secured a share in £9.4 million in government investment, as it works towards a full-scale DLE plant.
Cornish Lithium’s Trelavour Hard Rock Lithium Scoping Study will assess the feasibility of developing a sustainable UK supply chain, through the construction of an extraction plant that will produce low-carbon lithium hydroxide from a hard rock source in St Austell.
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