The German-Canadian company Rock Tech Lithium received an unexpected rejection from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy for its funding request on Monday. Originally, the company had hoped for support from the “Resilience and Sustainability of the Battery Cell Manufacturing Ecosystem” program, which was established under the EU Commission’s “Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework” (TCTF).
Rock Tech Lithium extracts the raw material for electric car batteries from its mining project in Georgia Lake, Ontario, and plans to refine it into battery-ready products in Guben. From 2025 onwards, approximately 24,000 tons of lithium hydroxide are set to be produced annually in Guben, with around 50 percent of the materials sourced from recycled batteries by 2030. Mercedes-Benz has already secured an annual delivery of around 10,000 tons of lithium hydroxide from Guben.
The decision from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy surprised the company. CEO Dirk Harbecke expressed optimism regarding regional support, particularly from the Brandenburg state government. Harbecke emphasized that they are in constructive dialogue with local authorities and are confident Brandenburg can mobilize sufficient funds to advance the project.
The municipality of Guben also shows significant interest in realizing the battery project. Despite the setback in federal funding, Rock Tech Lithium remains confident that it can contribute to battery production and secure a significant position in Europe’s lithium supply in the long run.
Souce: https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/rock-tech-muss-auf-foerderung-des-wirtschaftsministeriums-verzichten/100037005.html
