Lithium extraction project schedule in Beauvoir
The EMILI project schedule foresees production starting in 2028, with a production target of 34,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide per year for at least 25 years.
EMILI Project Schedule
2023
Preliminary mine design
and process tested and validated at laboratory scale
2024
Detailed characterization of the deposit
and start of construction of the demonstration plant
2025
Commissioning of the demonstration plant
(400 tonnes per year)
2028
Opening of the mine and commissionning of the commercial plant
(34,000 tonnes per year)
In addition to the drilling campaigns to characterize the deposit, conducted under the Exclusive Research Permit since 2015 and which are to continue until the end of 2022 and in 2023, Imerys has been studying the process for lithium extraction since 2021, which will have to be confirmed by large-scale laboratory pilots and demonstration plant.
Imerys plans to start production in 2028, once all stages — tests, pilots, impact studies and consultations — have been successfully completed.
The projected timetable will be reassessed at each stage of the project, in particular based on the results of the environmental impact assessments and stakeholder consultations.
