ČEZ has not yet decided on lithium mining in Czechia; project study could be completed this year

The energy group ČEZ has not yet decided whether to mine lithium and use it for industrial purposes, and is waiting for the results of a feasibility study of the entire project. The study could be completed this year. It has been delayed while the impacts of moving the lithium-processing plant are assessed. Under current plans, the plant could be built next to the power station in Prunéřov, near Kadaň in the Chomutov District. ČEZ financial director Martin Novák told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) today. The possibility of lithium mining in Czechia became one of the topics debated ahead of the 2017 parliamentary elections.

Last spring, ČEZ decided that if lithium is developed, its processing plant will be built next to the power station in Prunéřov. It thus abandoned the site originally identified in the Teplice District, which had been opposed by residents and mayors. People were concerned about the impact of operating a factory planned for an industrial zone in Újezdeček, with family homes nearby. Under the new proposal, a covered transshipment facility would be built in Újezdeček, from where the ore would be transported by rail to Prunéřov.

"The study has been delayed a little as a result. Moving the plant to Prunéřov is taking time because it means looking at the project in a completely different way. We expect to have a clearer understanding this year of how the entire project could work," Novák explained.

He also acknowledged, however, that completion of the study could extend into next year.

Geomet is preparing to mine the lithium. More than half of the company is owned by Severočeské doly, a member of the ČEZ group. It plans to extract lithium-bearing ore from an underground mine at Cínovec in the Ore Mountains.

In March, the government approved designating lithium reserves in the Cínovec area as a deposit of strategic importance. According to the cabinet, the lithium at the site is of a quality suitable for use in batteries for electric vehicles and other devices, for example. The Ministry of Industry and Trade says the measure is intended to facilitate possible future extraction of the raw material and prevent potential supply disruptions.

Lithium is considered a metal of the future. Czechia is estimated to hold about three percent of the world’s reserves, the vast majority at Cínovec and a small amount in the Slavkov Forest. The deposit near Cínovec is the largest in Europe.