A lithium converter plant could bring nearly two hundred new jobs to our region.
That’s according to Andre Mendel, the Vice President of Communications for Rock Tech Lithium.
Last week, the company named the Leeds-Grenville area as one of its four “shortlist contenders” for the new facility, which would produce lithium hydroxide for electric vehicle batteries.
“We assume that it would be pretty much the same [as our German facility], depending on some tailor-made solutions for future partners,” Mendel says, “but we’re roughly talking about 150 to 180 direct jobs.”
Mendel says the Leeds-Grenville region is under consideration because of the large amount of land available for the company to build the plant, plus its benefits for shipping.
“It’s very convenient, because we do have a lot of transportation possibilities,” he explains, “might it be by train, but also by water.”
The other three areas on the shortlist of possible locations are Nipissing District, Thunder Bay and Sudbury.
Mendel says he expects a location to be chosen next year, with construction starting sometime in 2025 and lasting for two years.
