Increased confidence in the sector and a rise in BEV demand to 2027 has been detailed in the latest Quarterly Demand Report (Q3) from the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC).
Much of the increased confidence in the sector comes on the heels of Nissan’s decision to produce three new BEV models in the UK, it states, as well as a commitment to building a new gigafactory in Sunderland, which will comprise an estimated £3 billion investment in total.
This latest quarterly report highlights, the opportunities for the UK to localise the lithium supply chain, boosting jobs, and potentially reducing environmental impact too.
Lithium is a critical material for both NMC and LFP chemistries. So, we looked at global lithium supply chain, including lithium extraction and upstream side, and the UK has some rich sources of lithium, in particular in brines, but also in granite deposits. The UK has many advantages that make it an attractive place to process material – for example we have Green Lithium, Leverton Lithium and Tees Valley Lithium looking to process lithium for batteries. Not only could these facilities service the UK market, but they could also supply non-domestic markets with a low- or zero-carbon battery grade lithium supply.
Alkemy Capital Investments plc (LON:ALK, FRA: JV2) is focussed on developing projects in the energy transition metals sector. Alkemy’s wholly-owned subsidiary Tees Valley Lithium (TVL) is developing a state of the art lithium hydroxide plant at Teesside, UK. TVL is Europe’s largest independent and sustainable lithium hydroxide producer.