Cornish Lithium, which has a demonstration plant in the Clay Country, is celebrating this milestone in its journey towards full production of the critical mineral.
The pioneering company said it was pleased to announce that lithium hydroxide monohydrate produced from ore mined at the Trelavour Lithium Project site near St Dennis and processed at its demonstration plant there had been successfully used to make lithium-ion coin cell batteries.
The company says this development demonstrates the potential for domestically-produced lithium chemicals to play a significant role in strengthening the UK’s battery materials supply chain.
Lithium is used in rechargeable batteries, including those found in electric vehicles.
Cornish Lithium supplied around two kilogrammes of the lithium product to the research and innovation organisation CPI for independent battery cell manufacture and testing.
The company said the batteries produced performed in line with, and in some areas exceeded, the performance of comparable cells manufactured using commercially available lithium products.
Cornish Lithium chief executive Jamie Airnes said: “Our team at Trelavour has undertaken a significant amount of work developing and optimising our demonstration plant to produce a high-quality lithium hydroxide that meets the demanding specifications of the battery industry.
“The successful battery testing undertaken with CPI provides valuable real-world validation of both our lithium hydroxide product and our proprietary technology.
“This places Cornish Lithium in a strong position as we continue to advance the development of our Trelavour Lithium Project and engage with potential customers and offtake partners.”
UK minister for reindustrialisation Blair McDougall said: “This is a really encouraging milestone for Cornish Lithium and shows what’s possible when British innovation and expertise are put to work. It shows we can mine, refine and use critical minerals here in Britain to support the industries of the future.
“Cornwall has a proud industrial heritage and companies like Cornish Lithium are helping write its next chapter. Through our Critical Minerals Strategy, we’re backing businesses like this to grow, invest and help build the supply chains we need for the years ahead.”
MP Noah Law (Labour), who represents the St Austell and Newquay constituency, said: “The Clay Country has been producing the minerals the rest of the country depends on for generations. This result shows it can do the same for the batteries that will power the next century.
“Lithium mined and refined here is performing as well as anything the industry buys from abroad. That is a genuine achievement and it means skilled jobs and long-term investment in communities that have too often been asked to wait for them.”
Lithium is a key component of lithium-ion batteries, which power consumer electronics, electric vehicles and large-scale energy systems as well as range of advanced manufacturing applications.
Cornish Lithium was founded in 2016 and now employs around 100 people across its sites at Trelavour, United Downs and Penryn. The business is focused on extracting lithium from hard rock in the Clay Country and from geothermal waters in the county.
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