Rock Tech Lithium has been granted permission for an early start to the construction of Guben Converter, a lithium converter in Guben in the German state of Brandenburg.
The Canada-based cleantech company applied for the first partial permit and approval for an early start in February 2022. The permission for the early start of construction has been given by the Brandenburg State Office for the Environment.
Rock Tech Lithium said that the first major work onsite at the lithium plant is anticipated within the upcoming weeks.
The early start permission will allow the company to commence the required groundwork and the construction of roads, office, and storage buildings.
According to Rock Tech Lithium, the Guben Converter is expected to produce about 24,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide from 2025.
Rock Tech Lithium announced plans to construct the lithium hydroxide production facility in October 2021.
With an estimated investment of $683m, the cleantech company intends to commence the initial work on the project in the coming weeks.
The second and final tranche of permit applications for the construction of the Guben lithium converter were submitted by Rock Tech Lithium in November 2022 with approval expected to be received from summer 2023 onwards.
To be located in the company’s industrial park in Guben, the lithium hydroxide facility covers a total area of around 12ha.
Rock Tech Lithium chief operating officer Klaus Schmitz said: “Our converter will be one of the first of its kind in Europe.
“The production of our battery-grade lithium hydroxide will be an essential part of the battery mineral supply chains in Europe – this is another reason why the approval by the authority is an important step towards implementation and sends a clear signal to the market.”
According to the cleantech company, over 250,000 working hours and more than $37m have been already invested by it in planning the design and construction of the Guben Converter.
