Ambitions to make Cornwall a world class region for tech metal mining have received a boost with a £4.7 million investment from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme.
The strategic investment will accelerate Cornwall’s goal to be a major environmentally sustainable producer of critical minerals such as lithium, tin and tungsten, unlocking potentially thousands of jobs.
The Government has identified Cornwall’s resources as nationally important to the UK’s future green growth and for a raft of industries, from car making to electronics and defence.
Research shows that Cornwall alone could meet more than half the UK’s 2030 demand for lithium, which is an essential part of the electric vehicle battery supply chain.
And in December, Cornwall was named the Most Improved Mining Jurisdiction of the Year, beating competition from Egypt, Namibia, and Saudi Arabia. Cornish company, Cornish Lithium, was named Exploration Discovery of the Year winner at the same awards, run by the Resourcing Tomorrow mining conference.
Cllr Louis Gardner, portfolio holder for economy at Cornwall Council, which manages the Good Growth Programme, said: “We’re investing in this sector because it will speed up Cornwall’s emerging critical minerals industry and help underpin the supply chains that are going to be essential to the UK’s net zero transition.
“Cornwall’s minerals resources have been singled out by Government as nationally important to providing a secure supply, delivering economic growth and tackling the climate emergency. This strategic investment is among several that the Good Growth Programme is making in our emerging sectors.”
