India’s First Lithium Refinery To Come Up In Gujarat

• 30 Dec 2020

• India’s first Lithium refinery which will process Lithium ore to produce battery-grade material will be set up in Gujarat.
• Manikaran Power Limited, one of the country’s largest power trading and renewable energy company will set up this refinery.
• With India poised to become one of the largest electric car market of the world, the country is also looking to access raw materials like Lithium needed to produce batteries. India currently imports most of the Lithium needed.
• Lithium is a rare element not usually found in India. The company will be importing Lithium ore from Australia and will be processing it here.
• Lithium is a chemical element with the symbol ‘Li’ and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly reactive and flammable, and must be stored in mineral oil. It never occurs freely in nature, but only in (usually ionic) compounds, such as pegmatitic minerals, which were once the main source of lithium.