Russia plans industrial lithium production by 2030
Russia plans to launch industrial-scale lithium production before 2030, with key output expected from deposits in the Murmansk Region and the Republic of Tuva, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Alexander Kozlov announced.
Kozlov said the main sources of lithium will be spodumene deposits, including the Kolmozerskoye and Polmostundrovskoye sites in the Murmansk Region, as well as the Tastygskoye deposit in Tuva, News.Az reports, citing TASS.
According to the minister, the first stage of the mining and processing complex at the Kolmozerskoye deposit is scheduled to begin operations in 2028. At this stage, the facility will be able to extract and process up to 600,000 tons of ore annually. Production capacity is expected to rise to 2 million tons per year by 2031. The plant is projected to produce up to 275,000 tons of spodumene concentrate annually, followed by up to 10,000 tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide.
Lithium production at the Polmostundrovskoye and Tastygskoye deposits is also expected to start no later than 2030. Kozlov noted that geological exploration is currently underway at both sites. At Polmostundrovskoye, two years of pilot industrial operations are planned, during which 1 million tons of ore containing about 12,400 tons of lithium oxide will be mined. The deposit’s ores are expected to yield up to 18,000 tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide per year.
At the Tastygskoye deposit, annual production is projected to reach up to 100,000 tons of spodumene concentrate. This output is expected to include around 5,900 tons of lithium hydroxide monohydrate and 5,200 tons of lithium carbonate per year.
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