Extremadura New Energies, the Spanish subsidiary of Infinity Lithium, has signed a lease agreement for the construction of a lithium processing plant in Cáceres, Spain. The 35.78-hectare land is located near the Miajadas highway and is considered the most suitable location for the plant. The lease agreement covers a minimum term of 35 years and secures access to over a third of the total area for the industrial development. The project, with an investment of 500 million euros, aims to create over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs and will have a production capacity of 100,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate per year.
Cáceres, Spain - Extremadura New Energies (ENE), the Spanish subsidiary of Infinity Lithium, has signed a 35.78-hectare lease agreement for the construction of a lithium processing plant in the province of Cáceres.
The land is located in the vicinity of the Miajadas highway, which is the location that previous studies and comments included in the scope document sent by the Junta de Extremadura a few weeks ago point to as the most suitable.
The total cost of the operation is 2.1 million euros and has a minimum term of 35 years, thus covering the useful life of this industrial project. The land subject to this agreement is already classified as "industrial" in the local urban planning framework and is located within the Extremadura S.E. Exploration Permit ("PESE"), which includes the San José lithium deposit.
This 35.78-hectare lease agreement means that, at this stage, access to more than a third of the total area in which the planned industrial development will be included has been secured. These lands are located next to the road access to the area and next to other key infrastructures.
Ramón Jiménez, CEO of Extremadura New Energies, highlighted that the acquisition of the rights over the land is an important milestone for the company and for the development of the project. "Completing this land agreement is another important milestone for the project, and we continue to work and advance towards the next phases of development," he said.
In this sense, and following the company's already announced roadmap, the objective is to submit the final project to the Junta de Extremadura in the last quarter of the year, so that the Operating Permit can be requested and the environmental impact study can be initiated as soon as possible. To this end, the technicians of Extremadura New Energies are continuing to work on incorporating the comments from the aforementioned Scope Document into the final project, while the updated economic studies have been completed.
This project, which will involve an investment of 500 million euros, will create more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region. The industrial plant will have a production capacity of 100,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate per year, making it one of the largest lithium processing plants in Europe.
Lithium production is a strategic sector for the energy transition, as this mineral is essential for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in electric vehicles, electronic devices, and other applications.