Drive for e-batteries: Europe's first lithium hydroxide converter to be built in Brandenburg, Germany
PRESS RELEASE
Drive for e-batteries: Europe's first lithium hydroxide converter to be built in
Brandenburg, Germany
• Planned investment sum 470 million euros, expected production start in 2024
• Central component of the European battery value chain secures the lithium
requirements of around 500,000 electric vehicles per year
• Brandenburg's Economics Minister Steinbach: "With Rock Tech Lithium, we
are strengthening our position as the future center of European e-mobility."
Guben, October 11th, 2021 - Rock Tech Lithium Inc., a cleantech company with offices in
Canada and Germany, is planning to build Europe's first lithium converter - a production plant
for battery-grade lithium hydroxide - in Guben, Brandenburg.
The company intends to locate all production steps of lithium refining in one overall plant at
the Guben site. The investment decision for all production steps still depends, among other
things, on ongoing discussions regarding subsidies already applied for or still to be applied
for. With its long industrial tradition and existing infrastructure, the region offers the best
conditions for becoming a central component of the battery value chain and thus part of
Brandenburg's e-mobility cluster. The planned total investment volume at the Guben site for
all factory units is up to 470 million euros. With the entire plant in operation, around 160
technicians, engineers and production staff would be employed on site. Together, they would
produce around 24,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year. This would correspond to
the volume needed to equip around 500,000 electric cars with lithium-ion batteries.
With the acquisition of the site in the Guben South industrial park, Rock Tech Lithium is now
creating the basis for the planned converter construction. The site, which covers a total of
around twelve hectares, offers extensive space for the construction of facilities for all
individual production steps in lithium refining. The already good traffic connection will be
further optimized by a possible rail connection. Rock Tech Lithium will seek a close
exchange with authorities, experts and local stakeholders for the planning and approval
process. The converter is scheduled to start operations in 2024. Locally sourced renewable
energy is to be used for production. In order to acquire the site, Rock Tech will make a cash
payment to the property owners totalling 1,130,877€ no later than six (6) months from the
date of the agreement. The property owners are at arm’s length to Rock Tech.
Dirk Harbecke, Chief Executive Officer of Rock Tech Lithium, explains, "We are
becoming the lithium partner of the automotive industry and are building our own, previously
non-existent infrastructure for battery-grade lithium hydroxide in Europe. Our goal is to be the
first company worldwide to create a closed loop for lithium. Guben seems to us to be the
ideal location for this, with subsidies also playing a significant role." By 2030, the cleantech
company plans to obtain around 50 percent of the raw materials it uses from recycling spent
batteries.
The EU Commission estimates that European lithium demand for e-car batteries alone will
increase 18-fold by 2030 and as much as 60-fold by 2050. A sustainable and resilient raw
material supply is thus becoming a strategically decisive factor for the automotive industry.
"With Rock Tech Lithium, we are strengthening our position as the future center of European
e-mobility. Brandenburg will be home to the entire value chain in the future. From raw
material processing to battery and cell production to e-car construction as well as battery
recycling. In this way, we are once again clearly demonstrating our own claim that
Brandenburg is a state of innovation. I am all the more pleased that Rock Tech Lithium has
chosen Guben as an industrial location in the energy region of Lusatia. This is an important
sign for the people of the region. The Lusatia structural process has begun and is showing its
first positive results. Lusatia is and will remain an important energy region in Germany,"
explains Jörg Steinbach, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor and Energy of the State
of Brandenburg.
The decision in favor of Guben was preceded by a Europe-wide site search. In the end, the
city of Guben came out on top due to its excellent conditions. Guben's mayor Fred Mahro is
also pleased about the decision and explains: "The fact that we have found an investor so
quickly for the recently decided expansion of our industrial area shows the great potential of
our European city. The economic development agencies of the state, the district and the city
have cooperated optimally and won a strong partner for Guben and our region with Rock
Tech Lithium."
Harald Altekrüger, District Administrator of the Spree-Neiße District, adds: "The fact
that Rock Tech Lithium has chosen our district is proof of our good work. In recent years, we
have created structures that offer innovative companies good investment opportunities. We
will continue to accompany the settlement and further development of Rock Tech Lithium
with commitment."
Location at the industrial site Guben South
About Rock Tech Lithium Inc.
Rock Tech Lithium is a cleantech company with operations in Canada and Germany that will
supply the automotive industry with high quality lithium hydroxide "made in Germany". As
early as 2024, the company will commission Europe's first lithium converter with a production
capacity of 24,000 tonnes per year. This is equivalent to the volume needed to equip around
500,000 electric cars with lithium-ion batteries.
The cleantech company has set itself the goal of creating the world's first closed loop for
lithium, thus closing the raw material gap on the road to clean mobility. Rock Tech owns the
Georgia Lake lithium project in Ontario, Canada and, as early as 2030, around 50 percent of
the raw materials used are expected to come from the recycling of batteries.
Rock Tech Lithium is listed on the TSX Venture and Frankfurt stock exchanges. The
company is led by Dirk Harbecke, Chairman & CEO, Stefan Krause, Chief Financial Officer,
and Don Stevens, Chief Technology Officer and Esther Bahne as Chief Strategy & Marketing
Officer.
Rock Tech Lithium - The fuel for the battery age
www.rocktechlithium.com
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Dirk Harbecke
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
For further information, please contact:
Thomas Rolfes
Head of Public Relations
Rock Tech Lithium Inc.
777 Hornby Street, Suite 600
Vancouver, B.C., V6Z 1S4
Telephone: (778) 358-5200
Facsimile: (604) 670-0033
Email: [email protected]
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be able to meet its financial obligations as they fall due, changes in commodity prices, Rock Tech’s ability to retain and attract
skilled staff and to secure feedstock from third party suppliers, unanticipated events and other difficulties related to construction,
development and operation of converters and mines, the cost of compliance with current and future environmental and other
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