Livista Energy to partner with Technip Energies to deliver its first lithium refinery in Europe.
Following a competitive bidding process Livista Energy Europe (Livista) has selected Technip Energies to deliver the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) / Detailed Feasibility Study (DFS) for its first European lithium refinery in Germany to supply the rapidly growing European electric vehicle industry.
Production is forecast to begin in 2026, with 40,000 tonnes a year output – enough to supply the lithium battery requirements of [c] 850,000 electric vehicles – with the potential to double production capacity at the facility over time.
Recycled feedstock is expected to reach 50% of the first plant’s capacity by 2030 and will be key to reduce the environmental impact while ramping up Europe’s energy independence and security.
ivista Energy Europe [Livista] has signed a “Letter of Award” with Technip Energies for the FEED Phase Engineering of Europe’s first battery grade lithium chemical refinery, capable of accepting all sources of raw lithium materials including recycled lithium chemicals as feedstock.
Under the scope of the FEED, Technip Energies will perform the engineering, early procurement activities, cost estimations and all permitting works required to build the first refinery, as well as early works for the plant expansion project on the same site location. In addition, the pre-FEED for the second plant will be performed in parallel based on the first plant design, thus increasing efficiencies and lowering overall costs.
Jean-Marc Ichbia, Livista COO, said:
Technip Energies has a strong global reputation for delivering projects on schedule and on budget. Livista looks forward to a long and successful working relationship moving forward, that will reinforce the credibility of our project.
“This collaboration will set the path towards filling a critical gap in the European EV and lithium-Ion battery supply chain, as nearly all lithium is currently refined in Asia. The capacity of our plants to accept recycled battery materials will make us a key part of the circular economy and will support our customers in sourcing lithium directly in Europe. Livista will also support the EU with its EV growth objectives, and sourcing of local materials, alongside moving towards energy independence.”
Marco Villa, Technip Energies COO, said:
We are pleased to have been selected for this ambitious lithium refining project in Germany.
“We are fully committed to supporting Livista’s ambition as part of the electric vehicles industry development in Europe. As we continue to grow our footprint in the lithium refining space, we are eager to contribute to the decarbonization of the European automotive industry.”
Technip Energies is a world-leading engineering and technology player for the energy transition and has a 60-year history of engineering and execution for some of the world’s largest projects.
About Livista Energy
Livista’s refinery will initially produce 40,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of battery grade lithium products [30,000 tpa of li-hydroxide and 10,000 tpa of li-Carbonate (LCE)], or enough to supply the battery needs of [c]850,000 electric vehicles, with potential to double production capacity to meet growing EV demand and requirements for high-grade, locally refined lithium chemicals.
With our first lithium refinery plant planned to start production in 2026, Livista will contribute to filling a critical gap in Europe’s electric vehicle and battery supply chain. Currently virtually all lithium refining is performed in Asia. This will bring both energy independence and security to Europe.
Livista refineries will enable OEMs and battery manufactures to comply with EU Critical Raw Material Act objectives, which mandates that all batteries produced in Europe contain a minimum percentage of lithium battery grade product produced locally by 2030. This will represent a key driver in the region’s sustainability efforts in the race to European net zero emission targets, lowering dependency on imported materials and helping drive circular economy.
TECHNIP ENERGIES PARTNERSHIP, June 8, 2023
