EV Metals Arabia Company for Industry (EVM Arabia), a subsidiary of EV Metals Group, a global battery materials and technology company, said there were agreements to allocate 127 hectares of land from the Royal Commission in Yanbu, as well as gas and electricity signed allocation of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Energy.
This will enable the development of EVM’s battery chemicals complex to position the Kingdom as a global midstream hub for the production of high purity chemicals required by electric vehicle and battery cell manufacturers.
This was followed by an environmental permit for construction being granted by the Royal Commission in Yanbu effective January 2, 2023, for which a contract will be awarded later this year.
The gas allocation represents a standard daily rate of 6,240,000 cubic feet to be used for the first two processing trains to produce high purity lithium hydroxide monohydrate, construction of which is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year.
The complex includes the phased development and expansion of lithium and nickel chemical plants. Commissioning of the first two lithium strings will begin in 2026 and ramp up to an annual production capacity of 50,000 tpa. This is followed by another four trains, which enable a total production of up to 150,000 tons per year.
The complex will process intermediate raw materials from critical Western Australia raw materials to produce high purity chemicals containing lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and other metals for downstream production of cathode active materials.
“Our complex is strategically located to serve the demand for high purity chemicals from electric vehicle and battery cell manufacturers both locally and from target markets in Europe and North America looking for stable and transparent supply chains,” said Michael Naylor, Chairman of EVM Arabia and Managing Director and CEO of EVM Group.
In 2023, EVM will accelerate exploration of critical minerals in the Kingdom through its subsidiary RIWAQ Al Mawarid for Mining to develop a localized Saudi supply chain for the complex.
RIWAQ has been granted 11 exploration licenses covering 1,093 square kilometers and is processing 142 exploration license applications covering 11,350 square kilometers that identify or have potential for critical minerals containing lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, platinum group metals and rare earth elements.
