Currently, there is no shortage of lithium raw materials in Russia, said Mikhail Metelkin, director of the Special Chemistry division of the TVEL fuel company, a subsidiary of Rosatom.
According to him, the joint project of Rosatom and Norilsk Nickel on the Kola Peninsula, which is in early stages of development, will completely cover the lithium demand in the country. The Polar Lithium joint venture will produce about 45,000 tons of lithium per year at the Kolmozersky deposit.
Production will begin no earlier than 2028 due to difficult climatic conditions and a lack of infrastructure. A quarry and a processing plant will be built at the deposit. Ore will be processed at the facilities of the Norilsk Nickel factory in Monchegorsk. The volume of investments may exceed 50 billion rubles, Kommersant reports.
Lithium projects are also being implemented in the Trans-Baikal Territory, Irkutsk Region, and the Arctic.
Currently, there is no lithium mining in Russia, the metal is exported from South America in the amount of 9,000 tons per year.
The price of lithium on the world market has dropped to $30 per 1 kg.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
