Halmek has ordered a Metso Outotec OKTOP Autoclave Plant, along with other engineering services and key equipment - financial details were not disclosed.

The plant is planned to have a capacity of 20,000 tons per year of lithium hydroxide monohydrate, when a first stage becomes operational in 2023, while a second production line also with a capacity of 20,000 tons is expected to start production in 2026.

The company said using the Metso Outotec process to develop battery-grade lithium hydroxide was a cleaner alternative than other extraction methods.

"One of the most important tasks in the project was the selection of technology. Instead of the more traditional sulfuric acid processing to produce lithium hydroxide, we decided to choose the Metso Outotec lithium hydroxide process as it is the most promising and environmentally sound process at the moment. The pilot tests conducted at the Metso Outotec Research Center in Pori, Finland, provided excellent results," explains Pavel Galchenko, VP, Halmek Lithium.