Zero carbon lithium extraction project in Portugal joined by ABB

LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

ABB will provide technical expertise on the development of a lithium extraction facility in Portugal, which targets zero emissions status by 2030. 

The Switzerland-headquartered automation and engineering technology company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Savannah Resources, owner of the Mina do Barroso Lithium Project in northern Portugal. 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The spodumene lithium project has the potential to offer high quality concentrates and Savannah has been granted a mine lease for 27Mt mineral resources, value until 2036 and extendable. The operation could be expanded at a later date.

It could be a useful resource for Europe’s battery industry in reducing dependence on imported materials, mostly from China. Savannah wants to implement nearly 240 measures to ensure responsible development and mitigate environmental impacts as it moves to establish the site as carbon neutral by 2030. 

Operations would be mostly powered by locally generated hydro, solar and wind energy.

Meanwhile ABB will look at how the Barroso site can be electrified, automated and digitalised, while its engineers will formulate production control and process solutions that could eliminate emissions.

It is one of a number of zero carbon emissions lithium extraction plants that have been in development around the world: another in Europe is planned for Germany’s Upper Rhine Rift region by Vulcan Energy Resources, which would take lithium from deposits in brine pumped up from the ground using renewable energy. 

As reported by Energy-Storage.news, LG Energy Solution signed an offtake agreement for battery grade lithium chemicals from Vulcan’s site, which intends to begin commercial supply in 2025. 

In the US, California’s inland Salton Sea, a landlocked body of highly saline water, is being seen as a potential site for extracting lithium from geothermal brine. Developer Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) wants to build the lithium extraction facility and a geothermal power plant to start coming online in 2023 and 2024. 

Read Next

Premium
May 20, 2025
ESN Premium speaks with Chloe Hicks of EnergyCo about New South Wales’ Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) and its hopes for energy storage.
May 20, 2025
Origin Energy has submitted an 800MWh wind-plus-storage project in New South Wales to Australia’s EPBC Act.
May 19, 2025
Elements Green has received grid connection approval from Powerlink Queensland and the AEMO for a 1.3GWh solar-plus-BESS site in Queensland.
May 16, 2025
Developer Elgin Energy has secured grid connection approval from AEMO for a 150MW solar-plus-storage site in Victoria.
May 8, 2025
7.15GW of renewables and energy storage projects have been granted access rights to connect to Australia’s first REZ in Central-West Orana.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter