Estimating the overall carbon balance of the EMILI project and energy issues
Discussions about electric vehicles and their environmental advantages over internal combustion vehicles have highlighted the large proportion of their carbon footprint linked to the extraction processes for the materials that make up their batteries. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions during extraction is therefore a priority.
The production of one metric ton of lithium through hard rock mining emits an average of 15 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Imerys estimates that, within the framework of the EMILI project, emissions per metric ton of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM*) produced would be around 9.8mt CO2 equivalent. This performance can be explained, in particular, by the French energy mix and the modes of transport selected by Imerys. The mining fleet would be electric, ore would be transported by electric conveyors and concentrates by pipeline and then by train. In particular, these choices mean that trucks are not used, thereby considerably limiting the project's carbon footprint.
Total electricity consumption for the entire EMILI project is estimated at around 446,000 megawatt hours (MWh) per year. Measures to optimise this consumption are currently being studied.
Gas would be used to fuel the mica calcination process at the conversion plant. Gas requirements are estimated at 495 GWh/year. GRDF would be able to supply the necessary volume from its local network.
For further information, please refer to Chapter 4 of the Dossier du Maître d'Ouvrage (DMO) “Environmental and Health Impacts & Industrial Risks of the Emili Project”, Point 7 (french only).
