The UK’s latest lithium mines are set to be established in County Durham, after a newly-formed company won exploration and extraction rights for an area of promising geology.
Northern Lithium will be exploring the underground hot water beneath the Weardale Granite of the county, the Chronicle Live reports.
Durham was once one of the major centres of the British coal mining industry, but in a greener world the production of material to make lithium titanate batteries for use in electric cars and mobile phones could be the industry of the future.
The material could then be used by several plants in the region, including Nissan’s emerging electric vehicles plant in Sunderland, the Envision AESC battery plant and a proposed British volt gigafactory in Blyth.
Environmental concerns may place some constraints on the kind of work the company can undertake as the area lies in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which gives it significant protection but less than that of a national park. However, even within the UK’s national parks there are many mines and quarries.
At present the firm is exploring an area of 185 square miles around Stanhope, with the intention of setting up wells to draw up brine from which lithium and other minerals can be extracted.
Managing director of Northern Lithium Nick Pople said the establishment of a domestic supply if lithium in County Durham will be essential to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, achieve the UK Government’s 10-point plan and make significant progress in reaching our net zero commitments by 2050”.
He added that the establishment of a lithium extraction industry would also revive the region’s mineral extraction sector and help it become a major centre of lithium battery production.
The UK lithium extraction sector is already seeking to produce the substance as part of the Li4UK project, which is being run by Innovate UK.
It is working to extract lithium from graphite produced at one site in Cornwall and another in Scotland.