Worley awarded contract for Green Lithium’s UK refinery
Worley will begin supporting Green Lithium in building the UK’s first large-scale merchant lithium refinery, which will create a supply of low-carbon battery-grade lithium chemicals to help meet Europe’s growing demand. By enabling cathode, battery cell and electric vehicle manufacturing. It will facilitate decarbonization objectives, green jobs and long-term economic prosperity.
The refinery will have the capacity to produce 50,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium a year equating to c.6% of Europe’s anticipated battery demand by 2030. This is enough to help produce one million electric vehicles annually.
“Current lithium refining capacity in Europe doesn’t match the increasing demand for battery-grade lithium chemicals, which is projected to grow to 800,000 tonnes by 2030. So this project is a step towards meeting demand and accelerating local lithium production,”
“Green Lithium is enabling our planet’s transition to sustainable energy by increasing the supply of low-carbon lithium chemicals to meet increased global demand. There is currently no lithium refining capability in Europe. Without localized supply, the automotive and battery manufacturing sectors in the UK and EU will fail. Critically Green Lithium will use a world-leading sustainable and low-carbon refining process, which has an 80 percent lower carbon footprint than existing refineries in traditional markets” said Sean Sargent, CEO of Green Lithium.
“We have assembled an exceptional team, driving toward commissioning our refinery in 2025 and we are pleased to be working with Worley as an important delivery partner.”
Worley will provide engineering services for front-end loading of various supporting components of the plant’s technology system. This will involve developing the balance of engineering, supporting critical planning and permitting activities, general constructability and developing philosophy documents for controls systems and automation.
The new refinery will be an important green infrastructure asset for the UK, helping support the region’s net-zero ambitions through the manufacture of electric vehicles, battery cells and cathodes for the future green economy.
“Collaboration in Europe could accelerate sustainable lithium refining. This will help markets dependent on battery-grade lithium to secure reliable feedstock and build sustainable technology vital to the energy transition. These are important steps on the journey to delivering a more sustainable world”
About Worley: Worley delivers project and asset services for the energy, chemicals and resources sectors around the world. We provide expertise in engineering, procurement and construction, as well as consulting services. Every day we help our customers get one step closer to solving our planet’s complex issues, such as climate change, the energy transition, digital transformation and how we are delivering a more sustainable world. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Or visit Worley.com.
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