A CLAY Country project to extract lithium for use in electric car batteries has been designated as a development of national significance by the government.

The Trelavour Hard Rock Project at St Dennis has been given the designation under the Planning Act of 2008.

Cornish Lithium says the move, confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, marks another stage in the country’s journey from relying on imported lithium to maximising the potential of the lithium to be found underground at brownfield sites in Cornwall.

The government believes the project, which focuses on the extraction of a strategically important industrial mineral, is likely to have significant economic impact and will be important in driving growth, regionally and nationally.

At present, there is a demonstration plant at Trelavour. The designation will smooth the planning application process for a full-scale version of the project.

Cornish Lithium chief executive Jeremy Wrathall said: “Developing the Trelavour Hard Rock Project is an important step in securing the domestic supply of lithium that the UK desperately needs to grow the country’s battery sector, maintain British automotive manufacturing’s competitiveness and accelerate our transition to renewable energy.”

The company is extracting lithium from both geothermal waters and hard rock in the historic mining districts of Cornwall.