UK's first commercial lithium factory gets approval from Cornwall Council

THE UK's first commercial geothermal lithium production facility has been green-lit in Cornwall.

- by HANNAH BAKER [e-mail] @BusinessLive

The project will allow Cornish Lithium to assess the potential for extracting lithium from geothermal waters and also using the water to heat homes and business premises.

Cornwall Council has granted planning consent for Cornish Lithium to establish the facility at Cross Lanes, near Chacewater.

The facility will be used for testing, but with the long-term aim of achieving full commercial production.

Phase One will involve drilling and testing two 2,000m production-scale geothermal wells; exploratory drilling was completed successfully in 2023.

"Lithium-enriched geothermal waters will be extracted from the first well using state-of-the-art direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology", a spokesperson said.