Cornish Lithium opens UK’s first low-emission lithium plant

Cornish Lithium has opened the UK’s first low-emission lithium hydroxide demonstration plant as part of its Trelavour hard rock project in Cornwall, England.

The project aims to produce 10,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide per year by 2027.

When combined with its geothermal lithium projects, the company plans to produce a total of 25,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) by 2030.

This would enable Cornish to supply around 25% of the lithium needed in the UK. Currently, Britain imports 100% of its lithium.

“Our demonstration processing plant allows us to test and confirm the viability of extracting lithium from hard rock in Cornwall before scaling up to full-size production,” Cornish Lithium said in a statement.

The facility processes lithium-enriched granite, mined from a repurposed China clay pit, to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide using low-carbon processing technology — all on a single site.

Cornish estimates that the facility will contribute at least £800 million ($1 billion) in gross value added to the local economy and create over 300 jobs for the community.