Australia Government Pledges $500 Million Into Lithium Battery Industry

Australia’s lithium resources will be kept at home as battery production is stepped up thanks to an investment made under the Made in Australia scheme.
Australia Government Pledges $500 Million Into Lithium Battery Industry
A worker is pictured with car batteries at a factory of Xinwangda Electric Vehicle Battery Co. Ltd., which makes lithium batteries for electric cars and other uses, in Nanjing in China's eastern Jiangsu Province, on March 12, 2021. STR/AFP via Getty Images
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The next phase in Australia’s decoupling from fossil fuels will involve a huge investment in a national battery strategy that aims to take advantage of global growth in clean energy solutions.

Australia is one of the largest lithium producers in the mineral form of spodumene worldwide. Currently, most spodumene concentrate mined in Australia is exported, as the country has limited capabilities to refine the mineral into battery-grade lithium hydroxide.

Jim Birchall
Jim Birchall
Author
Jim Birchall has written and edited for several regional New Zealand publications. He was most recently the editor of the Hauraki Coromandel Post.