Jeremy Wrathall welcomes delegates - Photo Credit Luke Norcross-Webb - 18 October 2021
Is a domestic lithium supply chain a unicorn or a real opportunity? What are the cost considerations for processing it? Where does the circular economy fit in? How can Cornwall drive change by becoming the UK’s battery metals hub for the electric car revolution? These were just some of the big questions that were posed at the second Investing in Cornish Mining Conference, which was held at National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth.
Photo Credit Luke Norcross-Webb - 18 October 2021
Attracting a capacity audience of high-profile delegates that included representatives from operational mines, exploration companies and the mining supply chain as well as UK Government officials, investors and academics, the companies in Cornwall that are leading the Duchy’s Green Industrial Revolution presented the many and varied opportunities for the region to maximise the potential of its mineral wealth.
“With Cornwall’s proud 4,000-year mining heritage and the insatiable global demand for technology metals such as lithium, copper, tin, tungsten and cobalt, the future is bright if we can collaboratively harness the investment in infrastructure to accelerate the creation of an environmentally-responsible mineral extraction industry for the 21st century and beyond,” explains Cornish Lithium’s Founder and CEO, Jeremy Wrathall. “This conference highlighted Cornwall’s abundant mineralisation; provided updates on the progress of current projects; illustrated the potential for investment and demonstrated the critical importance of Cornwall’s geological advantage to the UK economy as it seeks to secure a domestic supply chain of battery metals and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
The Conference also included a Gala Dinner at Pendennis Castle, complete with Cornish produce, shanty singers and cannon fire; a Walkwith Poldark from Porthtowan to Portreath to Perranwell, and site visits to Cornish Lithium’s United Downs Project, Cornish Metals’ South Crofty Project and Cornish Tin’s Wheal Vor Project. It also featured BMW’s latest electric vehicle, the iX3, provided by Ocean BMW in Falmouth.
Ocean Falmouth's BMW iX3 outside Pendennis Castle - Photo Credit Luke Norcross-Webb - 18 October 2021
This second Investing in Cornish Mining Conference was sponsored by Cornish Lithium and Worley, as well as Peel Hunt, Stephens Scown, Cornwall Resources, Cornish Metals, British Lithium, Howden, Cornish Tin, Hatch, Canaccord Genuity, Pentire Botanical Non-Alcoholic Spirits, SRK Consulting, ERM, DXB Integrate, Tungsten West, Liberum, Mayer Brown, Eden Project, Cornwall Development Company, Grinding Solutions, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, Tregothnan, the Critical Minerals Association, Strategic Minerals and Camborne School of Mines.
“When it comes to electrifying the next decade as part of our energy transition journey, batteries have a big part to play,” says Darryn Quayle, Vice President Energy Transition, Resources at Worley.
“It is encouraging to see that many ‘new energy’ metals are located right here in Cornwall. However, with a widening supply gap, miners will need to get these materials to market faster than ever before. And for battery manufacturers, securing the right purity is an equally pressing issue.
“We are confident that with the right partnerships and collaborations across the entire battery supply chain, we can meet the UK’s demand for batteries and the materials they are made with in a sustainable and agile way.”
“With a packed programme of presentations that ranged from navigating geo-politics; the importance of meeting ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) criteria and engaging with local communities; the geological episodes that have created Cornwall’s unique mineral bounty and the need to consolidate and communicate our story to potential investors in a clear, non-technical way, we thank our friends in the industry for providing us all with much food for thought. We are also most grateful to our sponsors, delegates and organisers for contributing to a stimulating and successful event as we combine to catalyse the UK’s energy transition for the benefit of local people and the Cornish economy.” concludes Jeremy Wrathall.
