The company behind plans to extract thousands of tonnes of lithium from Cornwall has launched a six-week consultation.
Penryn-based Cornish Lithium is seeking the views of local communities and stakeholders on the proposals for its Trelavour project.
The mineral exploration company is working to extract lithium - key for making batteries for electric vehicles as well as smartphones and laptops - using a new technology, which it claims will produce fewer carbon emissions than other processes used worldwide.
The non-statutory consultation will provide information about how the project is expected to be constructed, operated and decommissioned, and what it will achieve for the local area.
Cornish Lithium has described it as "an important milestone" in the development of its application to obtain development consent for the project.
The project 鈥峸ill include the continuation of surface mining operations and a battery-grade lithium production plant at Cornish Lithium鈥檚 site near St Dennis in Cornwall, which launched last October. The facility 鈥屸嶁嶁屸嶁屸屸屸嶁屸嶁峣s set to start producing lithium hydroxide from granite extracted from an old China clay pit.
According to the company, the project will support around 800 jobs during construction and some 300 during its 20-year operation. 鈥屸 鈥屸嶁屸屸嶁 鈥屸嶁屸屸屸嶁 鈥屸屸屸嶁嶁屸屸
Once development consent is obtained, the construction process is expected to take around two years, with a target operational start date of 2029.
Cornish Lithium is aiming to produce 10,000 tonnes of sustainable domestic lithium a year to reduce reliance on importing carbon-intensive materials from places such as China.
Peter Morse, Cornish Lithium鈥檚 Vice President and General Manager of the Trelavour Lithium Project, said: 鈥淲e are pleased to have started the non-statutory consultation for the Trelavour Lithium Project.
"This is one of the first milestones in the project鈥檚 timeline, and an important moment for us to explain what the project will achieve for the local area, answer questions from the community and take on board their important feedback to make the project a success.鈥"
The proposed development is one of two major projects by Cornish Lithium, the other being its Lithium in Geothermal Waters project, which is currently in its exploration phase.鈥 鈥 鈥嶁嶁屸 鈥 鈥嶁屸嶁嶁屸屸嶁 鈥屸嶁嶁屸屸 鈥嶁嶁 鈥嶁嶁嶁嶁 鈥屸嶁屸屸 鈥嶁屸嶁嶁屸
鈥屸 鈥嶁屸 鈥嶁屸嶁嶁
