European lithium smelting company Livista Energy announced on June 8th that it plans to establish a lithium refining plant in Germany to support the production of electric vehicle batteries. The new plant is expected to start production in 2026.
Livista, headquartered in Luxembourg, stated that its initial goal was to extract 40000 tons of lithium annually at the new factory, which can be used to produce batteries for 850000 electric vehicles. In addition, the factory may double its production capacity over time. The company stated that by 2030, lithium recovered from scrapped batteries will account for 50% of the factory's production capacity.
Livista has reached a partnership with French oil and gas service provider Technip Energies to design a new factory. The two companies stated that Technip will design the factory and prepare a construction plan (including possible expansion), and design a second factory at another undisclosed location. In addition, the company will also be responsible for estimating the cost of building a lithium smelter.
The EU has been promoting the domestic lithium industry to support the transition to electric vehicles. The EU's battery independence plan also includes recycling battery materials such as lithium. However, as lithium mines and refineries require years of development, establishing a lithium supply in Europe will be a lengthy process.
