Portuguese energy company Galp has announced that it will no longer pursue its Aurora project for the construction of a lithium conversion plant in Setúbal, Portugal. Galp had been working on the project since 2021 to tap the countryʼs lithium reserves for the battery industry.
Northvoltʼs withdrawal and lack of partners
Originally, the Aurora project was a 50-50 partnership between Galp and Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt. In early 2024, Northvolt announced that it would no longer invest in the project. Since then, Galp has been looking for new international partners without success, now citing this to be the main reason for abandoning the plans.
Annual capacity was to be 35,000 tons
The proposed plant would have had an annual production capacity of up to 35,000 tons of lithium hydroxide, which would have been enough to produce about 50 gigawatt-hours of lithium-ion batteries per year. Part of the production was intended for Northvoltʼs own battery production. The refinery was originally expected to be completed by the end of 2025 and to start production in 2026.
