raw material for e-cars
France plans its own lithium mine by 2027
10/24/2022 3:52 p.m
When building smartphones or e-cars, lithium is indispensable. The mining group Imerys is now announcing the opening of a lithium mine in France. European companies have so far obtained the raw material from abroad. The project could strengthen the “industrial sovereignty of Europe”.
In central France, the light metal lithium, which is important for electric cars, is to be mined in significant quantities by 2027. The mining company Imerys announced the opening of a lithium mine in the Allier department. According to the company, the deposits in the region should be sufficient to produce 34,000 tons of lithium hydroxide annually from 2028 – enough for the production of 700,000 electric vehicles.
Lithium is required to manufacture batteries and is mined in many countries, particularly in South America, Australia and China. However, the processing of the raw material currently takes place almost exclusively in the People’s Republic. In view of the car industry’s conversion to electric vehicles, there are increasing warnings of a new dependency on imports. Imerys declared that the Allier mine would “enhance Europe’s industrial sovereignty”. According to the company, it is investing around one billion euros in the “Emili” project. The lithium is to be mined underground to limit environmental damage on the surface.
There are currently almost a dozen such projects in Europe. The mine in central France is the second largest in size to date. The startup Vulcan from Karlsruhe, which wants to mine lithium in the Palatinate Rhine Valley, is currently planning the largest production volume. Porcelain clay has been extracted at the Allier site since the 19th century. The fact that lithium is also present there has been known for decades. At the beginning of last year, Imerys began investigating whether mining would be worthwhile. The result: The “concentrations and quantities” are “very attractive”. So far, according to the company, the mine is projected to have an operating life of 25 years, but there could be even larger reserves than previously known.
“We will continue the investigations to see if we could have 30 or 35 years of operation,” said Imerys boss Alessandro Dazza. Mining is to take place underground, minimizing dust exposure on the surface. Pipelines and railways are planned for transport in order to avoid truck traffic. Imerys expects CO2 emissions of eight kilograms per ton of lithium compared to 16 to 20 kilograms in Australia and China. “This project, which is exemplary in terms of environment and climate, will drastically reduce our need for lithium imports,” French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said in the mining company’s statement. The government supports the project.