'Important step' for Cornish Lithium as St Austell project designated 'nationally significant'
It's being called a 'pivotal moment' in the production of batteries here in the UK
The Trelavour Hard Rock Project has received recognition as a development of 'national significance'.
Cornish Lithium say it's an 'important step' in securing the supply of the metal that's 'desperately' needed to grow the UK's battery sector.
They add it's a 'vote of confidence' in local industry here in the Duchy.
Cornish Lithium received the confirmation from the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, who decided the Trelavour Hard Rock Project, in and of itself, is nationally significant for the following reasons:
- The Project is likely to have significant economic impact and will be important in driving growth, nationally and regionally
- Its influence will impact on a region that is wider than a single local authority area
- It focuses on the extraction of a strategically important industrial mineral
Jeremy Wrathall, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Cornish Lithium said: “We are delighted that the Secretary of State has directed that the Trelavour Hard Rock Project should be designated as a development of national significance.
"Developing the Trelavour Hard Rock Project is an important step in securing the domestic supply of lithium that the UK desperately needs to grow the country’s battery sector, maintain British automotive manufacturing’s competitiveness and accelerate our transition to renewable energy.
“This marks another stage in the UK’s journey from relying on imported lithium to maximising the potential of the industrial scale of lithium that already lies beneath our feet at existing brownfield sites in Cornwall.
"Qualifying for the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Planning regime is a vote of confidence for the positive impact that the Trelavour Hard Rock Project will have on the UK as a whole, as well as on Cornwall. It will also provide clarity in terms of the planning process for Trelavour and certainty in the context of our development timelines while we continue to proactively consult and engage with stakeholders, including local communities, businesses and authorities.”