At the Paris Auto Show not long ago, in the face of China’s leadership in the field of electric vehicles, French President Emmanuel Macron shouted that Europe must wake up and take effective measures to respond. It can meet the battery needs of 700,000 electric vehicles.
Reference news quoted French media reports,Inge Porcelain Group, a global leader in industrial minerals, announced the launch of a major lithium mining project in Eschassiere, France.
Since the end of the 19th century, the open-pit mine called “De Beauval”, located on the edge of the Colette forest on the border of the Allier and Mont-Dome departments, produces between 25,000 and 30,000 tons of kaolin, which is used to make ceramics, every year.
According to the report, research and core drilling predict that there is a high concentration of lithium hydroxide in the deep layer, a total of 1 million tons, and the oxide content is between 0.9% and 1%.
The deposit can mine 34,000 tonnes in 25 years. Ingrid Group will become a leading supplier to the European market, supplying 700,000 vehicles with lithium-ion batteries every year.
In addition to the 30 million euros of research already carried out, the project requires at least 1 billion euros of investment, with lithium production costs estimated to be between 7 and 9 euros per kilogram.
Inge Ceramics Group considers the project “very competitive, especially in the European market, and able to guarantee a return on investment in accordance with the Group’s guidelines”.
Following an evaluation phase and industrial trials, production will begin in early 2028, and 1,000 direct or indirect jobs will soon be created, the report noted.