Polar Lithium, the joint venture of Norilsk Nickel and Rosatom, signed an agreement for the development of the Kolmozersk lithium deposit with the Murmansk region at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, sgnorilsk.ru reported.
According to Andrey Grachev, Vice President of Norilsk Nickel for federal and regional programs, the agreement opens up new opportunities for the country as a whole.
"The agreement ends Russia's lithium dependence. Thanks to the creation of Polar Lithium, a joint project of Rosatom, a state–owned company, and a private company Norilsk Nickel, Russia acquires a new competence – it begins to participate in the production of batteries for electric vehicles. This means that the company is actually a participant in the "green" process," Grachev said.
The Kolmozerskoye deposit is the largest lithium deposit in Russia. On its basis, Norilsk Nickel and Rosatom plan to build a large-scale integrated production with a complete technological chain from the extraction of raw materials to the production of high-tech products.
"The development of the deposit will make it possible to create the first domestic production of lithium-containing raw materials, which will play an important role in providing strategically necessary materials to advanced enterprises in Russia. In particular, the products are intended for the Rosatom project – a gigafactory for the production of lithium-ion batteries in the Kaliningrad region, the launch of which is scheduled for 2025," said Igor Demidov, Director General of Polar Lithium.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
