The refinery is expected to produce enough lithium hydroxide for 500,000 electric cars per year.
ADVERTISEMENTAMG Lithium opened Europe’s first lithium refinery in Bitterfeld-Wolfen in Germany. The refinery was built in just over two years and cost about 140 million euro.
Most of the plant's lithium will come from Brazil. The job of the refinery is to then convert the raw material into battery-compatible lithium hydroxide. The plant is expected to produce 20,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide per year, which is enough to power 500,000 electric vehicles.
Lithium is a key component in the production of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. It is an element that is high in demand as a result the global transition to green energy.
In response to its growing demand, the EU proposed a Critical Raw Materials Action Plan in 2020, which aims to reduce Europe's dependency on external sources of supply.
Currently, most hybrid and electric vehicles use lithium-ion batteries. Managing Director of AMG Lithium Stefan Scherer said “if you also want a certain performance and range when driving, then the lithium-ion battery is simply unbeatable."
In the future, lithium extracted from European mines, such as from Portugal and the Ore Mountains, will also be produced here.