As the government fast tracks the ban on diesel vehicles and increases the promotion of electric vehicles to meet the net-zero emissions targets for 2050, there has been questions relating to the supply chain of lithium – needed to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles – especially with the shortcomings in international supply chains due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Financial Times, the UK is now wanting to develop its own supply of lithium for the domestic EV industry to avoid any possible bottlenecks of the lithium supply chain.

The British Lithium Limited, based in Cornwall, has received £500,000 funding from the government to continue its work in the St Austell area in Cornwall, developing local mines that could potentially provide lithium for Giga factories, this making the UK an attractive location for investments.

The demand for lithium is predicted to surge in the next decade, and if Cornwall can use newer mining technology to extract the ‘white gold’, then production can be much more environmentally friendly than Chile, Australia and China, helping to produce batteries with a lower carbon footprint and reducing reliance on overseas supplies.

New extraction technologies could help Cornwall unlock its lithium potential. However, one question remains; if there are enough resources to cater to the growing lithium demand.

Many nations are now focusing on more in-situ development of the supply chain with the United States and the United Kingdom both coming into the limelight over their recent actions and policies concerning in-situ development.

The government’s hopes of reviving the Cornish lithium industry will also provide a boost to the region, whose fishing and tourism industries have been very hard hit by the coronavirus, and Cornwall’s fishermen are still facing an uncertain future with Brexit, depending on the outcome of any trade deals.

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