Tesla Giga Berlin is located in Brandenburg which is located in a local area untouched by any industrial activities. Canada-based Rock Tech Lithium announced its lithium refining facility in Europe. The facility will be making battery-grade lithium hydroxide. These would be suitable for Tesla cars as such lithium is used for lithium batteries. The facility will be located in Guben, Brandenburg located 37 miles (60 km) away from the Tesla Giga Berlin factory.
Rock Tech Lithium already has a mining project in Georgia Lake, Ontario. In Brandenburg, the company plans to build a converter factory where the lithium hydroxide from the mines in Canada will be refined. It was reported initially by Handelsblatt that the facility will be located in Europe.
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"Now what I expected is happening"
"The Tesla plant in Grünheide is attracting more suppliers: @RockTechLithium is building a lithium hydroxide converter with output for approx. 500,000 electric cars very close by in Guben, Brandenburg" https://t.co/Ps42WHNRen
— JPR007 (@jpr007) October 12, 2021
Rock Tech Lithium announced that they plan to invest €470 million (~$545 million) on the Guben site facility. By 2024, the plant construction will be completed and is expected to employ around 160 technicians. Both production staff and engineers will be operating on the entire plant.
With such labor involved, Rock Tech Lithium believes it can make around 24,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide per year. That amount will be able to equip around 500,000 vehicles per year. Coincidentally Tesla’s factories also plan to make 500,000 vehicles per year.
Ideal location for lithium refining facility
Rock Tech CEO Dirk Harbecke said, “We are becoming the lithium partner of the automotive industry and are building our own, previously non-existent infrastructure for battery-grade lithium hydroxide in Europe. Our goal is to be the first company worldwide to create a close loop for lithium. Guben seems to us to be the ideal location for this, which subsidies also playing a significant role.”
It is expected that Tesla Giga Berlin will reach its full potential of 500,000 vehicles per year by next year. Recently there was a County Fair at the factory inviting 9,000 guests to the Giga Fest. During the event, they displayed the making of 1 car body every 45 seconds. This was when Elon Musk explained that the factory will be able to make around 1000 cars every week. At such a rate, Giga Berlin would be able to make 520,000 cars every week ideally.
