Imerys, British Lithium Partner for UK's First Battery-Grade Lithium Carbonate Integrated Producer

France: Mineral-based specialty solutions provider Imerys has acquired a controlling 80% stake in British Lithium, a Lithium exploration and development company. As part of the joint venture agreement, Imerys contributed its Lithium mineral resources, land, and infrastructure, while British Lithium brought its bespoke Lithium processing technology, technical team, and Lithium pilot plant for the remaining 20%. Imerys offers expert solutions for various industries, including construction, automotive, and consumer goods, by processing and refining mineral resources, synthetic minerals, and formulations. With input from all stakeholders, British Lithium aims to develop the project in an eco-friendly manner.

Imerys and British Lithium have issued a joint statement stating that their collaboration will combine Imerys' mining expertise, infrastructure in Cornwall, R&D and process development capabilities, as well as its Lithium mineral resources, with British Lithium's advanced technology and cutting-edge Lithium pilot plant. Recently, the pilot plant produced battery-grade Lithium Carbonate, adding to British Lithium's expertise in the field.

British Lithium has been conducting drilling and exploration on land owned by Imerys in Cornwall since 2017. During this time, they have created a one-of-a-kind process and pilot plant for producing battery-grade Lithium Carbonate. The company has received financial support from Innovate UK, the United Kingdom's national innovation agency, as well as the Automotive Transformation Fund, a funding initiative aimed at supporting the electrification of vehicles and their associated supply chains within the country.

Valuable progress has been made on the project. Following drilling and resource definition, an estimated 161 million tonnes of inferred mineral resources with a Lithium oxide grade of 0.54% have been identified. Currently, a drilling programme and pre-feasibility study are underway to further advance the project.

Imerys has expressed confidence that their resources are sufficient to support a mine life of over 30 years while producing up to 20,000 tonnes of Lithium Carbonate equivalent annually. This amount could potentially equip around 500,000 electric vehicles every year by the end of the decade, which would meet nearly two-thirds of Britain's projected battery demand for 2030 when all car manufacturers in the UK are expected to shift to electric vehicles.

According to the statement released by the company, the integration of this project with the ongoing EMILI initiative in France is set to establish Imerys as the biggest integrated Lithium producer in Europe. This development is expected to contribute to more than 20% of the total European Lithium production as projected for the year 2030.