The community of Weardale is poised for exciting changes with the proposed construction of a lithium extraction plant in County Durham, set to be approved soon.
The Weardale Lithium facility is planned for the brownfield site of the former cement works at Eastgate, near Stanhope. This facility will process geothermal groundwater from nearby deep, high-specification production wells, breathing new life into a site that has been dormant for over 20 years since the cement works closed.
The application outlines four key components:
- Utilization of existing groundwater abstraction wells.
- A new pipeline corridor, both below and above ground, to transport water from the wells to the existing gantry over the River Wear.
- A pipeline gantry across the River Wear, using the former conveyor gantry bridge that once connected Eastgate Quarry with the old Weardale Cement Works site.
- The construction of a pilot lithium processing plant on the former cement works site, to be developed in two phases.
The plans have been refined in response to consultations and operational updates, now detailing temporary development with permanent planning permission for the pipeline routes. The below-ground structures will remain and may require further consent for future use. The duration of the pilot plant’s development has been set to 15 years, with above-ground structures to be removed at the end of this period.
This project is expected to create hundreds of jobs over its lifetime, presenting a significant opportunity for the regeneration of the Eastgate site. The development will establish a local high-technology treatment facility to process lithium brine minerals found in Weardale’s deep groundwaters. This follows over three years of research and trials to identify the best methods for lithium extraction.
Weardale Lithium, the company behind the project, has already succeeded in extracting lithium from North Pennine Orefield groundwaters. They state that the scheme will bring significant economic investment and job creation to Weardale, while also supporting long-term growth for the battery industry in the North East region and the UK.
The regeneration of the Eastgate site is anticipated to have a profound positive impact on Weardale and the wider area, garnering strong public support. The proposals have demonstrated that the development will not result in unacceptable environmental impacts.
Durham County Council’s planning committee is set to vote on the application on Wednesday, February 5.