Manikaran signs MoU with Gujarat govt to set up lithium refinery

Manikaran Lithium Private Limited had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government for setting up India's first lithium refinery in Gujarat.

The estimated cost to set up the refinery is Rs 2,200 crore. It will create 1,000 direct and indirect sources of employment in Gujarat. The lithium refinery will produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide, used in the production of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).

Managing Director of Manikaran Lithium, Navjeet Singh, said that the company had chosen Gujarat to set up the plant within 3-4 years. The lithium plant will be near the port area, where the land is identified. The company is in the process of getting all the clearances needed to set up the plant.

Manikaran Power Limited and its partner company, Neometals, plans to evaluate the feasibility of a lithium hydroxide refinery located in India.

The company said that high-quality spodumene concentrate would be sourced worldwide, and locally sourced reagents would be used to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide.

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