Tees Valley Lithium (TVL) plans to create a lithium refinery on a disused industrial site of almost 10 acres in the Billingham Chemical Complex.
TVL says the £185m project will bring 66 direct jobs, 517 roles in the wider supply chain and about 1,100 jobs during construction, for local workers.
It predicts the country’s first refinery of its type will bring £2.1bn into the economy over a 25-year lifespan, “with £1 billion of direct benefit remaining within the Tees Valley and North East”.
Tees Valley Lithium CEO Vikki Jeckell said: “TVL’s investment in Billingham is not a short-term project. It is a 25-year commitment to the Tees Valley, to its people, its economy, and its future. We believe Teesside’s rich chemical heritage and existing infrastructure makes it the logical home for the next generation of chemical production which is essential to the security of the UK battery supply chain and we look forward to working with local people and business to turn this vision into reality.”
TVL says it has committed to a local employment preference policy, along with training and apprenticeships, with the average annual salary for operational roles anticipated at over £55,000, with all production roles sitting above £39,000.
TVL has produced an impact report for the refinery, in which it says: “TVL’s Billingham facility is not being built in isolation, it is rooted in Teesside’s century-long chemical engineering heritage, from the birthplace of ICI on the same Billingham site, and connect that industrial legacy directly to the supply chains of tomorrow’s electric vehicle industry.”
TVL has written to Stockton Council saying it intended to apply for planning permission to develop the facility.
The council has said an environmental impact assessment is needed.
Author: Ian
Reporter and author of Pop Life, covering all things news, music and local events.