It is in the Allier, at Échassières, that the global industrial giant Imerys will exploit, from 2028, a lithium deposit in the basement of an open pit mine which already produces 30,000 tonnes of kaolin each year. year. With an extraction capacity of 34,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year for 25 years, this mining site will allow the manufacture of enough batteries to equip 700,000 electric vehicles per year.
The operator plans to invest at least 1 billion euros to launch production, for a cost price per kilo of lithium of between 7 and 9 € according to its studies, which promises to be competitive on a European scale. . As always in the context of such projects, the job creations are largely highlighted by the manufacturers. On this site and its region, up to 1,000 direct and indirect jobs will thus be created.
Indeed, in addition to the extraction at depths between 75 and 350 meters, the ore will be transported by underground pipeline and rails to a refinery plant installed in the region. “It is a question of responding to the challenge of the energy transition by offering a lasting decarbonization solution while increasing the sovereignty of France and Europe by reducing imports”explains the CEO of Imerys, Alessandro Dazza.
Fears among environmentalists
Obviously, the announcement of this project leads to mixed reactions among ecologists, who fear the destruction of local ecosystems and various pollution resulting from the refining process. As summarized by the association Les Amis de la Terre in an article by Release, “responsible mining is a myth”. Needless to say that this exploitation will not be neutral for the environment, just as it cannot be denied that the ecological transition towards electric vehicles or intermittent renewable energies will require the use of ever more batteries, which will have a significant environmental cost.
Other questions also arise on the quantities of exploitable lithium, which would be lower than the needs of this famous transition. According to a recent Finnish government report, there would not be enough lithium and cobalt to renew the batteries every ten years. His findings? We will have to imagine solutions that are not so dependent on minerals.
The former Minister for Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili, who was the first to mention the need to extract lithium in France, recalled the disastrous ecological balance sheet of mining sites and refining plants on the other side of the world (in South America and Australia, in particular). In some countries, several surveys by environmental organizations have shown that manufacturers do everything to hide their activities, which often escape the standards in force and prove harmful to the environment and local populations. Barbara Pompili then called for the signing of new lithium import contracts in Europe, providing for environmental and social obligations. A communication in which the parties in favor of the opening of new mining operations in France are engulfed, explaining that this is the best way to control industrial processes and their misdeeds.
A showcase site for Imerys
“Imerys will take into account the challenges of biodiversity and is committed to implementing an environmentally friendly project, in accordance with the IRMA standard [Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance]benchmark for responsible mining”says Alessandro Dazza, whose comments are echoed by our colleagues from World.
He adds that underground mining will minimize the impact on ecosystems as well as CO2 emissions, which will be “half that of all other rock lithium operations in the world today”. A global study is still in progress. It will have to add environmental, geological and economic considerations to the industrial criteria. It should be noted that other rare minerals resulting from the extraction could be refined and valued, such as tantalum or tin.
“We are once again aware that our subsoil is a strategic asset. The lithium that will be extracted responsibly will make it possible to produce in our gigafactories the batteries necessary for the electrification of our activities, in line with our objectives. […] and to ensure our energy and industrial independence by becoming a leader in the technologies necessary to achieve carbon neutrality”writes Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister of Energy, Climate and Mines.