Plans for the UK’s first lithium refinery were announced to guests on a blustery day at a port in north-east Teesside this week, in a step forward for the country’s battery supply chain.Green Lithium said the £600 million refinery would produce around 50,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide starting in 2025, enough for around 1 […]
> The UK lithium scene, through mica mining and innovative direct lithium extraction (DLE) projects, has an announced lithium extraction capacity pipeline of 78,000 tonnes LCE (lithium carbonate equivalents), according to Benchmark’s Lithium Forecast. For lithium chemical production, the UK has 6,000 tonnes LCE of operating capacity and a further 135,000 tonnes LCE announced. Most of […]
> The UK’s EV penetration rate reached 25% of all new passenger car and light duty vehicle sales in 2024, placing it firmly ahead of other major Western automotive markets, such as the US, Germany, and France. But this figure is still a long way behind the adoption of the most advanced regions, particularly China and […]
> South Korea’s battery industry is one of the most developed and globally integrated ecosystems in the world. Yet beneath the surface of its technical leadership lies a sense of caution: competition from China is intensifying, margins are thin, and chemistry choices are shifting rapidly. A recent visit by Benchmark’s Lithium Product Director, Cameron Perks – […]
> Escalating unrest in Mali, as jihadi groups target fuel convoys around the capital Bamako, has led several governments including France and the US to advise their citizens to leave the country. The attacks have created fuel shortages, and raised serious concerns around the military government’s ability to maintain its rule in the country. Mali is […]
> UK energy provider, Octopus Energy, and BYD have unveiled an all-inclusive vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bundle that includes car leasing, a bi-directional charger, and a smart tariff. In one of the first commercially available deals of its kind in the UK and Europe, this is a step towards increasing adoption of V2G, but obstacles remain ahead of […]
> South Korean steel and chemicals giant POSCO has taken a 30% stake in Australia’s Mineral Resources’ (MinRes) 50% stakes in the Mt Marion and Wodgina mines for US$765 million. Structured as a joint venture, the deal would see MinRes and POSCO hold an overall 35% and 15% of the operations, as well as corresponding rights […]
> Benchmark has tracked over $50 billion of energy transition funding, throughout 2025 in its Energy Transition Capital database, with the largest share allocated to the battery supply chain. The role of debt, grants, and equity Debt The EV, battery, and battery materials markets have matured rapidly over the past few years. As a result, debt is playing an increasingly […]
> The UK bucked a wider downturn in electric vehicle (EV) sales across continental Europe in 2024, surpassing Germany to become Europe’s largest EV market for the first time last year. Automakers offered large discounts on electric models – to the tune of an estimated £4.5 billion – to meet the UK government’s zero emission vehicle […]