Lithium ore is present in the Bourbonnais subsoil in ‘attractive quantities’ It would be extracted at a rate of 34,000 tonnes per year. 600 direct jobs are announced, 1,000 including indirect jobs.
‘It is a real opportunity for the territory and more broadly for the country to have such a deposit,’ says Alan Parte, vice-president of lithium projects at Imerys. “Today, we look for lithium in China, Australia or South America, which makes Europe totally dependent on these countries,” he adds.