#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. On the sidelines of the St. Petersburg international economic forum, Igor Demidov, general director of the Polar Lithium company, spoke about how the project to develop the Kolmozerskoye lithium deposit in the Murmansk region is being implemented. This is a joint project of Nornickel and Rosatom.
“Lithium has become known as the oil of the 21st century. This element is indispensable in the production of lithium-ion batteries. And with the large-scale shift that we are seeing in terms of the transition to electric transport, in terms of the use of new types of energy storage devices in the exploration of the Arctic and space, household appliances and the military-industrial complex, lithium is becoming an important raw material for high-tech industries”, noted Igor Demidov.
According to the speaker, the Kolmozerskoye deposit is the largest in the country, containing 25 percent of Russian lithium reserves. The project for the deposit development will be included in the complete technological chain “from ore to car.” The raw material block is Polar Lithium, or lithium hydroxide or carbonate – this project for the production of cathode materials is now being actively discussed by Nornickel and Rosatom. Then the production of battery cells and batteries – these factories are already being built in Kaliningrad and the Moscow region.
Rosatom is also promoting the creation of a unified platform for electric vehicles, which will be called Atom. The project will show how the entire chain can be implemented from ore to car. Completely import-independent and high-tech.
“The first phase, amounting to ten percent of the installed capacity, can be launched by 2026-2027. The investment decision is going to be made by the end of June. If we do this, we plan to receive the first commercial products at the beginning of 2027”, explained Igor Demidov.
Previously, Nornickel began additional exploration of the Talnah mines, and the Rostec state corporation developed frost-resistant lithium-ion batteries.
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Text: Angelika Stepanova, Photo: Nornickel’s press service
