County Durham lithium find prompts factory plan
A company extracting lithium from remote countryside in County Durham has said it believes there are huge reserves of the mineral stored in granite below the ground.Northern Lithium said tests on a farm in Weardale indicated there were likely to be "commercially viable" amounts in the area.Lithium is needed for making batteries for electric vehicles and demand is expected to surge.The company and its partner firm, Evove, now plan to build a commercial scale direct lithium extraction factory by 2027.
A small scale plant has been operating to demonstrate the possibility of producing battery-grade lithium carbonate.Northern Lithium said the goal was to produce 10,000 tonnes per year for electric vehicle manufacturing and other sectors.Managing director Nick Pople said: "Consistent concentrations of lithium were found and the long term potential yields to scale this up to commercial operations were greater than we expected."
Tests conducted on the site at Ludwell Farm in Eastgate involved taking raw brines from the ground which are then put through a filtration system to separate the lithium from impurities.Northern Lithium has the rights to explore 60,000 acres of land owned by the Church Commissioners and said the North East can play a big role in providing a domestic supply instead of relying on imports.
The search for lithium has been likened to a 21st century gold rush, with rival firm Weardale Lithium granted planning permission by Durham County Council in January for its own explorations nearby.Bishop Auckland MP Sam Rushworth said: "It's a really exciting opportunity. "In the North East we've got two big buyers of batteries in Hitachi and Nissan and the best place in the UK for extracting lithium from under our feet."
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