Cornish Lithium CEO and founder Jeremy Wrathall says the project to extract thousands of tonnes of lithium from rock and geothermal waters in Cornwall achieved “significant milestones” in 2024 – with 2025 set to be a defining year.

Last October saw Cornish Lithium launch the UK’s first lithium hydroxide demonstration plant at its Trelavour Hard Rock Project in St Dennis. 

It represents a major step towards the commercial production of lithium in Britain, with Trelavour now ready to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide samples from granite extracted from the £9m site – a former china clay pit near St Austell.

Trelavour is expected to produce 10,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide annually, which will “considerably strengthen” the UK’s critical minerals supply chain and “reduce the UK’s reliance on importing carbon-intensive materials from abroad”.  

It marks a key milestone in the nation’s transition to clean power by 2030, which it is hoped will unlock thousands of well-paid, high-skilled career opportunities and considerable economic benefit for Cornwall.

Cornish Lithium states the Trelavour project alone will create around 300 jobs and generate up to £800m for the Cornish economy over its 20-year life.

This year the company celebrated the appointment of its 100th employee.

Lithium is viewed as critically important to the manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs), grid scale electricity storage, and rechargeable industrial and consumer electronics.

The UK possesses the largest lithium resource in Europe yet currently imports 100 per cent of the lithium that it uses.

It is hoped that one site that could benefit from Cornish Lithium’s mineral extraction is the £4bn Agratas battery-production gigafactory, which is in the midst of being built at Gravity smart campus in Bridgwater, Somerset – although no deal has as yet been confirmed. 

“Cornish Lithium made exceptional progress during 2024 and achieved significant milestones across the business,” says founder, interim chairman and CEO, Jeremy Wrathall.

“As we start the new year, I believe we are in our strongest position yet, thanks to the passion and dedication of our hardworking colleagues who share my vision for lithium extraction in Cornwall, thus developing a strong supply chain for battery production in the UK.”

Another milestone for Cornish Lithium has been the step towards geothermal extraction of lithium from additional sites around the county. If successful, the company would be able to significantly increase extraction and move towards the UK target of 50,000 tonnes per annum by 2030. 

An application has been submitted to Cornwall Council for planning permission to develop a new facility at the company’s Cross Lanes Project, near Chacewater, with a decision expected early in 2025. 

“Last year saw exciting developments in both our hard rock and geothermal projects, including the opening of the UK’s first lithium hydroxide demonstration plant,” Wrathall added. 

“We now await the outcome of our planning application for Cross Lanes and our focus remains on unlocking the region’s capacity to become a key supplier of those critical minerals that are essential to the UK’s transition to renewable clean energy. 

“Looking ahead, I am confident that 2025 will be a defining year for the company, further strengthening our role in supporting the UK’s journey to net zero.”

See the interview in full here