Cornwall Council has welcomed investment into the expansion of a cutting-edge lithium extraction operation in Cornwall.
Cornwall-based Geothermal Engineering Limited (GEL) is set to invest around £43 million in a new lithium extraction facility at United Downs which will draw on brine from the geothermal wells already in place after receiving an Offer in Principle worth nearly £10 million through the Government’s DRIVE35 Automotive Transformation Fund.
The investment will create nearly 50 direct jobs and support around 80 more across the supply chain.
The announcement has been welcomed by Cllr Tim Dwelly, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for economic regeneration and investment.
Cllr Dwelly said: “I am delighted to see this investment into such an innovative project, which will help create highly skilled and well paid jobs in a cutting edge industry.
"Cornwall is ideally positioned to play a key role in the UK's future economic plans through our pioneering work with geothermal technology and critical minerals, as this news clearly shows."
Commercial production at the plant is set to begin in 2029, and is expected to yield around 1,500 tonnes of technical-grade lithium carbonate each year – enough for over 180,000 typical EV car batteries.
ENDS