Manganese reserves near Chvaletice in Czechia are a deposit of strategic importance, government rules

Manganese reserves near Chvaletice in the Pardubice Region have been designated a deposit of strategic importance. The government decided this today, saying the manganese at the site is of a quality that can be used to produce materials essential for most lithium-ion batteries. The measure is intended to facilitate any future extraction of the raw material and prevent potential supply disruptions. This follows from the results of today’s cabinet meeting.

This was another such measure in a short period. At the beginning of March, the government designated lithium reserves in the Cínovec area of the Teplice Region and in Horní Slavkov in the Sokolov Region as deposits of strategic importance.

According to the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the measure aims to ensure the country’s security of raw material supplies. The ministry says the mined manganese can be used to produce high-purity manganese products. „The term high-purity manganese refers to a group of highly refined products that are essential for most lithium-ion batteries,“ the ministry said in its proposal. A deposit of strategic importance is one that is exceptionally important for the country’s security of raw material or energy supplies.

According to the ministry, the manganese in the mining waste heaps near Chvaletice is of so-called battery grade. The advantages of these deposits include the relatively homogeneous distribution of manganese and the fact that the raw material has already been mined, crushed and ground in the heaps, eliminating the environmental risks associated with any extraction work.

The ministry also highlighted manganese’s strategic role in the so-called green transition, which it says is likely to increase demand for it exponentially in the coming decades.

„It is therefore in the interests of the Czech Republic and the European Union to create conditions for its extraction and processing in order to reduce dependence on supplies from third countries, particularly given that more than 95 percent of battery-grade manganese is currently imported from China,“ the ministry noted in its report.

Mangan Chvaletice, which belongs to Canadian company Euro Manganese, plans to use the manganese from the deposits near Chvaletice. It wants to begin extracting and processing the raw material at the turn of 2028 and 2029. Battery manufacturers are already testing the results from the verification plant, which has been operating for a year. The planned factory, whose project received a positive environmental impact assessment (EIA) last year, is expected to produce 50.000 tonnes of manganese annually for 25 years. A test line is currently in operation.