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About the project

A sought-after metal that can improve the living conditions of local communities

The production of lithium products usable in the battery industry is an exceptional opportunity for Dubí, Újezdeček, Košt'any and other surrounding municipalities, for the Ústí nad Labem Region, and for the entire Czech Republic.

The Ústí nad Labem Region and the neighbouring municipalities can become part of the promising battery production and processing industry from the very beginning. In addition to lithium production itself, the Czech Republic has a great chance to attract the construction of a so-called gigafactory, i.e. a battery factory.

The new activity will provide the region with the funds for the necessary investments, while at the same time providing skilled and well-paid jobs for the inhabitants. The whole chain will bring thousands of quality jobs and provide further development opportunities for the whole region. The region will thus become an ideal choice for further investment in this sector and the development of a key industry for the entire Czech Republic, and it will attract more business.

The benefits for the inhabitants of the Ústí nad Labem Region will also include the improvement of the regional and municipal infrastructure, the development of education and local scientific research. The aim of the project is to manufacture lithium products that will be used for the production of batteries, especially for electric vehicles or battery storage facilities for renewable energy, which will also be created in the Ústí nad Labem Region. A modern lithium park will be created here, the parts of which will be interconnected by a modern and environmentally friendly transport method.

The whole project emphasises a sensitive approach to the environment and the lives of local people. The lithium production process at Cínovec is designed to be as quiet as possible and with the least impact on the surrounding area. Most of the work will therefore also take place deep below the surface. The main investor, ČEZ Group, guarantees that the project will be implemented in a socially-responsible manner, with a minimal environmental impact and with a view to ensuring that the value of the deposit is reflected in improved living conditions for local inhabitants.

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Martin Pohlodek

Manager of ČEZ and CEO of Geomet

For the Czech Republic, this could be the way to transform itself into a strong and green economy and a leader in battery production and processing. If we succeed in taking advantage of the opportunities offered, the negative social impacts associated with the planned decline of the coal industry in North Bohemia will also be significantly reduced.

A key product for the development of the automotive industry
A key product for the development of the automotive industry

In the near future, the Czech Republic, like the entire EU, will have to make the transition from the traditional automotive industry and combustion engines towards clean electromobility. Lithium batteries, which are an integral part of all electric vehicles, are therefore a key product. The presence of lithium deposits on our territory provides us with a unique opportunity to extract this metal in our country and, within the framework of the planned project, to turn these reserves into the domestic production of a raw material critical for the future development of the automotive industry. Today, the automotive industry accounts for 10% of domestic GDP and a quarter of all industrial production, and it employs half a million people directly and indirectly. Getting the transformation of the automotive industry right is therefore crucial for the Czech Republic.

What the Czech lithium park will look like

According to surveys, the site contains 3 per cent of the world's total reserves of lithium, which is now known as white gold.

The Cínovec lithium deposit is situated on the border between the Czech Republic and Germany, about 6 kilometres north of the town of Dubí in the Teplice region. Two-thirds of the deposit is located on the Czech side, while a smaller part lies under the German Zinnwald. A similar lithium project is being developed in Germany, as it is a key metal for Germany's future too.

The lithium park consists of two basic parts. The first is a mine to be built in Cínovec in the locality called Sedmihůrky, in the forest and outside the built-up area of the municipality. The second part of the lithium park will be a processing plant, the construction of which is planned in the vicinity of the Prunéřov power plant; the processing plant would be built on ČEZ Group land. The lithium park is complemented by a planned gigafactory, i.e. a battery factory, which is being prepared at the nearby Prunéřov / Severní lom site.

We will use an underground mining method to extract the required metal. It is environmentally friendly and leaves the surrounding landscape’s character untouched. Only a small entrance leading to the workplace will be visible from the surface. The work will be carried out with the utmost attention to the safety and health of all employees through the use of state-of-the-art technology. The safety of the operation and its minimal impact on the surrounding area are of the highest priority for us.

  • The entire mine will be located underground at a depth of 150 to 400 metres in very hard rock (granite), which provides stability and limits vibrations. The impact on the landscape will therefore be absolutely minimal.
  • Despite the richness of the deposit, Sedmihůrky will be a relatively small mine, nothing like a coal mine. Two interconnected underground tunnels in the Cínovec massif are assumed. Each will be approximately 1,150 metres long.
  • The mine will be located in the forest outside the built-up area in the locality of Sedmihůrky, about 6 kilometres north of Dubí.
  • The chosen method for extracting lithium ore is conventional room-and-pillar mining. The primary crushing will be located below the surface, thereby promoting the quiet operation of the mine and limiting the impact on the surrounding environment.
  • The excavated chambers will be filled with certified backfill material to ensure the stability of the excavated areas.
  • The processing plant is the second essential part of the Cínovec lithium park. It is planned on the site of the former Prunéřov I lignite power plant - the processing plant would be built on the ČEZ Group's land.
  • The ore will be transported to the processing plant by rail from the railway station in the Dukla industrial zone near the village of Újezdeček, and the plant will produce the final lithium products. It will create skilled jobs related to the production of lithium products and their research and development. The plant will consist of office and administrative buildings, a processing area and a research centre.
  • The processing plant will be constructed according to state-of-the-art knowledge and with the utmost respect for the surroundings.
  • A highly sophisticated factory for electric car battery cells is planned.
  • ČEZ is preparing it in Prunéřov near Chomutov, and the lithium from Cínovec could be used primarily here.
  • The factory could become the heart of the automotive industry in the Ústí nad Labem Region, with the prospect of supplying batteries to automotive companies in the Czech Republic and Germany.
  • The primary ore crushing will take place deep below the surface directly at Sedmihůrky so that the noisier work has the least possible impact on the surrounding area.
  • The crushed ore will be transported to the station in the Dukla industrial zone by a special conveyor (RopeCon) or by cableway. Here it will be transferred to railway wagons and transported to the processing plant in Prunéřov.
  • The final transport option will emerge from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process which will approve the most appropriate method.

We currently have to update the final feasibility study in connection with the proposed change of location from the Dukla industrial zone to the Prunéřov power plant. A modification of the 6th Update of the Principles of Spatial Development of the Ústí nad Labem Region is under way for the change of the processing plant site.

In December 2024, we filed a Notice of Intent (EIA notice) for a processing plant and ore transport with a maximum capacity of 3.2 million tonnes of ore per year. Information on the procedure and the complete documentation is available in the EIA information system.

The final date for the start of mining will depend on the speed of the permitting processes. Speeding up and simplifying the permitting process was one of the reasons we changed the location for the construction of the processing plant to Prunéřov.