Interview: Green Lithium CEO Sean Sargent on building the UK's first lithium refinery

Data last year from UK car sector trade body the SMMT showed that battery electric vehicles made up more than one in five newly registered cars.

As demand grows, the UK must adapt, and this includes everything from accelerating charging infrastructure through to sourcing critical minerals needed for battery production.

Hoping to be part of the solution is Green Lithium, which plans to open the country’s first large-scale lithium refinery at PD Ports in Teesside. Construction is planned for 2024 and, once operational, the facility aims to produce 50,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide each year – enough for over 1 million EVs per annum.

CEO Sean Sargent joined the company in January 2021 after many years in the maritime and nuclear sectors. He began his career as a maritime civil engineer working on the design of ports and harbours. Working on Devonport’s submarine facilities led him to the nuclear industry, where he’s spent most of his 32-year career. After taking on various roles in the nuclear sector at Jacobs and Magnox, the pandemic hit in 2020 and, like many others, Sargent’s career took a change of course.