Geomet has acquired land in the Dukla industrial estate on which it intends to build a lithium processing plant from nearby Cínovec in the Teplice region. The purchase price of the land near the village of Újezdeček amounts to almost CZK 1 billion. Cínovec is home to Europe’s largest lithium deposit, which is a key raw material for the production of batteries for electric vehicles and batteries for renewable energy sources.
Geomet is owned by Severočeské doly, which belongs to the ČEZ group, and the Australian mining company European Metals Holdings.
Geomet bought one of the plots under the agreement, and signed a right of first refusal to acquire the other three, according to a presentation by European Metals Holdings, for a total value of CZK 966 million, Seznam Zprávy reported. The company plans to build a plant for ore refining and lithium production for batteries on the industrial site.
“We can confirm in full the announcement made by European Metals Holdings. However, we would like to emphasize that the announcement concerns mainly the acquisition of options for the land in question,” said ČEZ Group spokesman Ladislav Kříž.
The land of the Dukla site is owned by four private companies, while all adjacent land relevant to the site is owned by the state or local authorities. One of the purchased plots is owned by Datou, according to the server. It is owned by Jan Lichtneger, the dismissed director of the Central Bohemian road workers, known from the so-called Dozimetr case.
The Ústí Regional Planning Department has already received an application to change the zoning plan in the vicinity of the Dukla site to create a corridor for ore transport. A decision is expected in the last quarter of this year. The purchase of the other three plots of land, or the exercise of options to purchase them, will depend on the outcome.
The largest lithium deposit in Europe is located below Cínovec in the Ore Mountains. Geomet is exploring the area and plans to mine the strategic metal there in the coming years. The final feasibility study, which will answer the basic questions related to the possibilities of lithium production in Cínovec, will be completed by the end of this year, Pavel Cyrani, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of CEZ, said recently. Mining could start in late 2026 and 2027, assuming Geomet has a construction permit in the second half of 2025. The cost of the entire project is estimated at CZK 15bn.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) said during a visit to Teplice in May that he sees lithium mining as an opportunity for the Ústí nad Labem region. According to him, the once coal-rich region can become a centre of modern energy and renewable resources. The Prime Minister said cooperation with neighbouring Saxony is also important. That is why the Czech-Saxon memorandum on cooperation on projects of strategic importance, including the extraction of raw materials such as lithium, was established.
Source: Seznam Zprávy and CTK
