Cornwall is gearing up for an explosion in lithium mining to power the green battery revolution in the UK.

A second major metal wave has begun in Cornwall.

Two and a half decades after the closure of the last tin mine, this resource-rich area could once again become a global player in the undersupply metal market.

This time, not only tin is mined. Along with copper and tungsten, Cornwall hopes to become Europe’s largest supplier of lithium, the metal used in batteries that power technology products from phones to electric cars.

Cornwall is expected to produce enough lithium to meet more than a third of the UK’s estimated needs by 2030, just in time for the planned phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles.

Five companies are attacking the peninsula. One of them is Cornish Lithium, which aims to produce about 10,000 tons of metal per year by 2026.

“In the 19th century, miners went down the shaft with very, very hot water,” says Jeremy Wrathall, founder of Cornish Lithium. “It was salty and they didn’t know why, because it was so far from the sea, in the center of Cornwall.

“They were analyzed by Professor William Miller of King’s College London in 1864 and he was the first to discover lithium in Cornwall. So it’s been there for a long time.”

Mr Wrathall, who had over 30 years of mining finance experience before setting up his own exploration company, is confident that the two county Cornish Lithium sites will play a key role in helping the UK become a global steel hub.

“Every ton we can produce in Cornwall is one ton less for UK imports and one ton less CO2,” he said. “If [it’s coming] from China that lithium is made from fossil fuels and you ship it along with fossil fuels all over the ocean.

Overall, the government predicts that Britain will need about 80,000 tons of lithium per year by 2030, but nearly 40 percent of that could come from 2,000 meters below Cornwall.

British Lithium hopes to produce 21,000 tons per annum through sustainable mining without the use of chemicals to produce lithium carbonate for batteries from mica found in Cornish granite.

“We are very pleased with the support we are receiving from local, national and international stakeholders and are very positive about 2023 and all that lies ahead,” said Andrew Smith, CEO of British Lithium, who intends to launch production of Start at the end of 2023. 2023. 2025 at company headquarters in Stenaly, near St. Austell.

With lithium production making headlines, Cornwall is once again poised to become a global player in the tin market.

The existence of tin in Britain dates back to 2000 BC. but metal mining in Cornwall did not begin until about 1800 BC. The county soon became a major producer of tin, which, when mixed with copper, forms bronze.

During the Industrial Revolution, the county established itself as a global player in the industry and remained so for much of the 20th century. The last mine in Cornwall closed only in 1998.

Cornish Tin is bringing mining back to the Great Wheal Advance for the first time in 150 years. The project consists of 26 former tin and copper mines in Bréage. In 1929, mining historian A. C. Hamilton Jenkin described the mines as “probably the richest tin mine that ever operated in the world”, and Sally Norcross-Webb, CEO of Cornish Tin, intends to restore the site to worldwide prominence. .

“This is a very high quality tin with a historical tin content of over 5.5%,” she says. “Even assuming current tin productivity is only 2 percent, today this would be one of the top three tin mines in the world,” he added, adding that the group was using “best available technology” as part of its commitment to sustainable mining. .

Because tin is used to solder circuit boards in almost every technology product, the US MIT predicts that demand for the metal will quadruple by 2040, when the electric vehicle and energy storage revolution really kicks off.

“We will produce pure tin and supply a vital mineral to British industry,” says Ms Norcross-Webb.

“When we reach full capacity, we will employ between 150 and 200 people, and for every direct job in the mining sector, four indirect jobs will be created,” she added.

The mining industry is expected to create up to 10,000 new jobs in Cornwall, where wages are below the UK average and most people work in the seasonal tourism industry.

Cornish mining bosses are demanding the government do its part to revolutionize critical metals.

Mining bosses have urged the government to support the Cornish metal storm with a “clear plan” for all of Britain to benefit from the millions of tons of lithium and tin produced in the county.

The companies behind a number of mining projects have said they will be forced to export their products overseas unless the government invests in mega-factories to produce electric vehicles and other technology products.

This was announced by Jeremy Wrathall, CEO and founder of Cornish Lithium. I: “We need lithium here in Cornwall for electric car batteries. We have the resources to supply the UK gigafactories. We just need gigafactories to deliver them.”

President Joe Biden’s Anti-Inflation Act promised billions of dollars in production and purchases of critical metals to reduce US dependence on imports from China. The EU has an important strategy for minerals, and President Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met earlier this month to negotiate an agreement to coordinate their supply of base metals.

“We will still make lithium and sell it to Europe if we can’t sell it here, but we want to play a big role in helping the UK reduce its dependence on imports. We need the government to invest and help us address climate change in the UK,” Mr Wrathall said.

Cornish Tin CEO Sally Norcross-Webb said: “We need real government support. Not words, but actions to build battery warehouses, car manufacturing and all the supply chain businesses needed to make Cornwall a real force for the future and a county that will actively participate in and succeed the next industrial revolution. The government was asked to comment.

Dennis Rowland, project manager at Cornwall Resources, said: “People can earn very well, well above average wages. They are hiring local people, training local people and mining will help develop Cornwall.”

Cornwall Resources operates the Redmoor tin, tungsten and copper project, based at Kelly Bray near the Devon border.

The Company is currently seeking funding to conduct a feasibility study for the project, which should include further exploratory drilling and surveys that will result in an economic case that justifies the construction of a new underground iron and steel mine in Cornwall.

“A survey study we conducted in 2020 showed that there is a significant amount of metal in the world,” Mr. Rowland said.

The last working mine closed in Cornwall was at South Crofty near Redruth, but the flooding did not last long.

Canadian Cornish Metals, one of the largest mining companies operating in the province, hopes to resume production at full capacity in 2026, allowing the world’s fourth-largest tin mine to produce up to 5,000 tons of metal per year.

In addition to a large amount of tin, the site also offers mining opportunities for copper, lithium, tungsten, zinc and silver.

Despite local opposition to the various projects, the companies claim overwhelming support from the Cornish community.

The county is known for its beautiful views, but these companies believe that what lies beneath the hills can also provide much-needed economic growth for local residents.