Lithium economy - what are the benefits?

Lithium is currently one of the most often discussed raw materials for modern technologies. Efficient storage and conversion of energy from solar and wind power plants, as well as promotion of electromobility will increase the demand for Li batteries. The Bohemian Massif represents a positive geological Li anomaly within Europe and contains the largest potential Li sources within the European Union - the Cínovec/Zinnwald deposit in the Krušné hory/Erzgebirge Mts. Discussion about the technical possibilities and economic benefits of planned lithium mining at Cínovec has become a political problem in recent months. In order to return the discussion to the subject-matter, the Masaryk Democratic Academy and the Ecological Platform Zvonečník organized a panel discussion on February 7, with the participation of representatives of the potential mining company, local government, and experts in the field of economic geology from the Academy of Sciences and the Czech Geological Survey. The lecturers and the present audience agreed on the positive contribution of the potential mining and processing of lithium for the regional development of northern Bohemia and called for a substantive approach in the search for a consensus allowing an efficient use of the Cínovec deposit.