How much lithium does Ukraine have?

Ukrainian researchers have speculated that the country’s eastern region holds close to 500,000 tons of lithium oxide, a source of lithium, which is critical to the production of the batteries that power electric vehicles. That preliminary assessment, if it holds, would make Ukraine’s lithium reserves one of the largest in the world.

Why is Ukraine using high-capacity batteries?

With Russia regularly knocking out Ukraine’s power grid, the country has turned to high-capacity batteries to keep it connected to the world—and itself. The streets of Kyiv during a blackout last year. Photograph: Mykhaylo Palinchak/Getty Images

Why does Ukraine need a battery industry?

"Ukraine has a large estimated need for batteries over the next years to help stabilise their energy system," the company added. Norway has said it is keen to develop a battery making industry, benefiting from access to the country's renewable electricity and a proximity to European customers.

Does Ukraine need a new role in the world's lithium industry?

The move holds a “strategic importance for the establishment of Ukraine on the global stage, in a new role,” Roman Opimakh, head of the State Geological Service of Ukraine, said in May at a flagship presentation for global investors. Ukraine’s potential for lithium production had started to attract global attention.

Why does Ukraine want energy storage facilities?

Ukraine says Russia is attacking electricity infrastructure in the ongoing war, damaging the power supply and leading to frequent blackouts. That means Kyiv is keen to establish energy storage facilities in every school and hospital as soon as possible, Morrow quoted SAEE as saying.

Is Russia about to source more batteries?

With demand for those batteries only increasing as Russia mounts a more serious offensive to break a stalemate in eastern Ukraine, there is a scramble to source more. And not every cell company is about to source tens of thousands of those batteries on their own.