Environmental Permit Granted for Keliber’s Lithium Chemical Plant
The Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland (AVI) has on 28 June 2022 granted the environmental permit for Keliber’s lithium chemical plant. The plant will be built in Kokkola Industrial Park (KIP).
The environmental permit decision includes a right to start operations despite eventual appeals, which means that Keliber is able to start preparations for the operative phase immediately under the conditions of the permit. The construction of the lithium chemical plant is scheduled to start this summer and production in 2024. Keliber will produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide, which is needed in the lithium-ion batteries of electric vehicles, among other things.
"The environmental permit for the plant and the right to start operations is good news for us and our customers, as the permit makes it possible for the project to continue within the planned timeframe. When Keliber's product is launched, lithium hydroxide is expected to be in short supply, due to the ongoing green transition that will greatly increase the demand for lithium-ion batteries,” says Hannu Hautala, CEO of Keliber.
The planned annual production of the lithium chemical plant is 15,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide monohydrate. Its main raw material is spodumene concentrate, which Keliber will produce from its own ore in the Päiväneva area of Kaustinen. Alternatively, Keliber may purchase spodumene concentrate from outside suppliers.
Keliber’s lithium hydroxide production is based on soda leaching technology, which benefits from material and energy efficiency. Circulated process water accounts for about 80% of the plant's total process water consumption. The side stream created in the process, analcime sand, is usable in construction, primarily in the expansion of the Port of Kokkola.
The lithium chemical plant entity consists of several buildings with a total surface area of more than 18,000 square meters. The construction phase will directly employ about 250 people; after the start of continuous production, about 75 people will work in the plant area.
Keliber submitted the environmental permit application to AVI on 4 December 2020. The permit is not yet legally valid. The building permit for the plant was granted by the City of Kokkola on 27 April 2022.
For further information, please contact
Hannu Hautala, CEO, Keliber, tel. +358 40 712 2432, hannu.hautala@keliber.fi
Sami Heikkinen, Site Manager, Lithium Chemical Plant, Keliber, tel. +358 (0)40 181 3051, sami.heikkinen@keliber.fi
Keliber in Brief
Keliber is a Finnish mining and battery chemical company that aims to start the sustainable production of battery-grade lithium hydroxide, utilising its own ore, in 2024.