The government’s plans to fast-track the ban on diesel vehicles and increase the promotion of electric vehicles (EV) to meet its net-zero targets for 2050 have been met with concern over the supply chain of lithium – needed to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles – especially following the shortcomings in international supply chains during the pandemic.
However, the Daily Express reports that a significant lithium discovery in Cornwall could help the UK develop its supply of the valuable mineral for the domestic EV industry to avoid any future bottlenecks within the supply chain, and also revive the Cornish mining industry.
The government has provided £500,000 in funding for Cornwall-based British Lithium Limited to continue its work developing local mines in the St Austell area in Cornwall, which could potentially provide lithium for Giga factories, also making the UK an attractive location for investments.
There is a predicted surge within the next decade for lithium, and it Cornish specialist mining companies can use newer mining technology to extract the ‘white gold’, it will also mean that production of batteries will be much more environmentally friendly that product from Chile, Australia, and China, with a lower carbon footprint, and less reliance on overseas shipping.
While the presence of lithium in Cornwall was known, there was a question of if there were enough resources to cater for the growing demand. However, Cornish Lithium has the said the recent discovery was of a ‘globally significant’ grade, and enough to supply the UK’s EV industry.
A Cornish Lithium spokesman said: “Initial results indicate some of the world’s highest grades of lithium and best overall chemical qualities encountered in published records for geothermal waters anywhere in the world.”
The government’s hopes of reviving the Cornish lithium industry will also provide a boost to the region, whose fishing and tourism industries have been very hard hit by the coronavirus, and Cornwall’s fishermen are still facing an uncertain future with Brexit, depending on the outcome of any trade deals.
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