Finnish mining company Keliber has begun lithium extraction in Kaustinen, western Finland, after several years of delay, reported Xinhua, quoting national broadcaster Yle on Thursday.
According to Yle, the 800 million euro project is Europe's first battery-grade lithium processing operation and is expected to create about 350 jobs. While Portugal has large lithium reserves, it lacks refining capacity, and Serbia suspended its domestic lithium project last November.
Keliber, established 25 years ago, postponed the project several times due to funding shortages. A turning point came in November 2022, when South Africa's Sibanye-Stillwater acquired an 80 percent stake in Keliber via investment, while state-owned Finnish Minerals Group retained the remaining 20 percent.
Keliber CEO Hannu Hautala told Yle that being the first to introduce European production is a competitive advantage, citing shorter delivery distances compared with imports from outside Europe.
Lithium-ion batteries are used in mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, electric vehicles, buses, and rail transport backup power systems. Their application is expected to expand further in large-scale industrial energy storage systems in the future.
According to Yle, in addition to the open-pit mine already in operation, Keliber plans to open six other mining areas around Kaustinen.
- Finland
- Lithium mining
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
