Saudi Arabia is quickly advancing its efforts to provide lithium, aiming to turn into the world’s main producer of the mineral, which performs a important position in battery and clear vitality know-how.
Lithium, or ‘white gold’, will assist the Kingdom’s financial diversification by localising electrical car (EV) manufacturing and renewable vitality applied sciences below Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030. The mineral is a main driver for reaching the nation’s goal of manufacturing 300,000 EVs yearly by 2030.
Minister of Business and Mineral Assets, Bandar Alkhorayef, concluded his official go to to america, which targeted on creating strategic partnerships for the switch of superior applied sciences in mineral extraction and processing. He met with a number of main lithium producers and know-how innovators to debate mutual alternatives in important minerals important for the vitality transition, EV and battery manufacturing.
The minister met Lilac Options on superior lithium extraction applied sciences, in addition to Albemarle Company, with whom he mentioned creating lithium hydroxide conversion processes for battery manufacturing, in addition to transferring the newest developments in extraction applied sciences.
Pushed by the speedy progress of the EV trade and vitality storage options, international demand for lithium-ion batteries is predicted to extend by 5 instances by 2030, reaching a manufacturing capability of 5,500 gigawatt-hours.
In 2024, Saudi Arabia reached a milestone by extracting lithium from oilfield brine runoff, a brand new and sustainable supply. Analysis at King Abdullah College of Science and Know-how has additionally uncovered progressive strategies for extracting lithium from seawater.
Saudi has targeted on mining not too long ago and intends to rework the sector right into a key pillar of financial diversification. The nation goals to extend mining’s contribution to GDP to US$64 billion by 2030. Saudi’s mineral wealth is estimated at US$2.5 trillion.
Minister Alkhorayef visited Albemarle Company’s Kings Mountain lithium mine in North Carolina and met Kent Masters, Chairman and Chief Government Officer, to debate know-how switch, in addition to joint funding alternatives.
The Kings Mountain facility represents a cornerstone of North America’s important minerals technique, with deliberate manufacturing capability enough to energy over 1.2 million EVs yearly by 2030.
