“This is a huge untapped advantage that is currently being wasted, when it could be making our industries more competitive and resilient to global supply chain volatility.”
The £15m demonstration plant has been funded as part of an investment package from what is now the National Wealth Fund, alongside The Energy and Minerals Group and TechMet, along with funding from the UK Government’s automotive transformation fund.
Mr Wrathall added the project would have a positive benefit for an area with a mining heritage that stretched back 4,000 years for tin and copper and 275 years for China clay, and which suffered from social deprivation.
“Cornish people are very proud of their mining heritage. We haven’t had any real opposition to this project, they’re proud and they want to see it happening,” he said.
Business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “This is great news for Cornish Lithium, and will not only support high-skilled jobs in the South West but give a major boost to our critical minerals supply chains for the long term.”