Russia plans mass lithium production in 2030 - Aims at least 60,000 tons of lithium carbonate by the end of the decade
Russia plans to produce at least 60,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate by 2030, the natural resources ministry said. Moscow seeks to reduce its dependence on imports and increase production of high-capacity electric batteries.
Lithium and other critical minerals, including rare earth metals, have gained global attention in recent months as US President Donald Trump sought to counter China's dominance in the sector by offering production deals to Ukraine and Russia.
Lithium, a metal essential for the production of electric vehicles, is included in the list of 50 minerals considered critical by the United States Geological Survey. Russia reported having 3.5 million tons of lithium oxide reserves.
The US Geological Survey estimated Russia’s lithium reserves at about 1 million tonnes by 2024, ranking it 14th in the world. Lithium oxide contains about a third of pure lithium, and lithium carbonate contains about 20% of pure lithium. “Industrial production of the mineral in the country will begin in 2030,” the ministry said.
President Vladimir Putin said last month that Russia should accelerate plans to mine lithium deposits.
Demand for this mineral has increased in recent years, as Russian companies work on mass production of batteries and electric vehicles.
"The country has traditionally imported lithium and it is now essential to rapidly open facilities and increase the extraction and processing of this strategically important resource for the economy," the ministry added.
The government said it had issued exploration licenses for three major deposits. They and the production plants near them are expected to be operational by 2030. In 2023, Russia extracted just 27 tons of lithium as a byproduct at an emerald deposit in the Ural Mountains.
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