Multiple Spanish projects have been proposed and could see significant amounts of lithium available for the battery industry in Europe.
Extremadura New Energies, the energy company owned by Australia-based Infinity Lithium, is applying for a lithium processing plant in San Jose.
It would be located at Europe’s second largest hard rock lithium deposit, which would need to be mined underground.
Due to the scale of the project, which it claims could contribute 20,000 kilo tonnes a year of battery grade lithium chemicals, it has received EU funding and support.
The project would have an electrified underground fleet of mining equipment, which it claims would remove the carbonised components of traditional mineral processing.
It would mean 3km of underground tunnels would need to be dug if the project is approved.
The project would also have a lithium chemical conversion plant adjacent to the mine, which would then be used to feed into the European lithium-ion battery supply chain.
The company said it maintains a 75% ownership of the project.
In Castilla Leon, a large lithium deposit has been found within the Conchas project by Australian mining company Berkeley Energia.
This is 31km2 consisting of shallow thick zones of lithium and rubidium, and the area is still being studied, it said.
Most of the lithium used by Spanish battery manufacturers currently is imported from South America, according to Euro Weekly News.
It reports that Chinese companies have an interest in those mines, especially for batteries in electric vehicles (EV).
No licences for lithium mining have been approved just yet, according to Context News.
Environmental factors and local sentiment will play a role in whether these projects are allowed to occur.
