Gazprom signs 'road map' with Irkutsk Oil Company for lithium production project at Kovyktinskoye field, agreement with Industry and Trade Ministry
MOSCOW. Feb 3 (Interfax) - Gazprom chief Alexei Miller and Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at implementing a project for the production and processing of formation brines (saline groundwaters) from the Kovyktinskoye field of Gazprom in order to obtain lithium compounds and other valuable components, Gazprom said in a statement.
The parties agreed to, inter alia, cooperate in R&D activities aimed at creating domestic technologies, equipment and materials required to implement the project. The document also envisages drawing up proposals regarding state support measures for research and industrial enterprises.
A tripartite action plan (roadmap) for the project was also signed between Gazprom, Irkutsk Oil Company, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
"According to expert estimates, demand for lithium will continue soaring in the coming years. And it is commonly known that Russia imports all the lithium consumed nationwide. That is why it is especially important to develop domestic technological expertise in this field. Gazprom is actively engaged in setting up import-substituting facilities covering the full cycle of lithium production and processing. We have already completed a feasibility study for a project of this kind for the Kovyktinskoye field. The project has a very great potential. Initial estimates suggest that it might cover the bulk of domestic demand for lithium in the long run," Alexei Miller was quoted as saying in the statement.
"Today's event is an essential and substantive step towards fulfilling the ambitious goal of fully providing the industrial complex of Russia with domestically-produced rare metals and rare earth metals by 2030. This goal was set by the Russian government and embedded in the roadmap entitled 'Technologies for new materials and substances.' In this context, the development of the lithium industry is a must. Despite a substantial resource base, Russia is not producing lithium yet. This only enhances the significance of the prospective project of Gazprom and Irkutsk Oil Company. It offers us an opportunity to shape a full-cycle lithium industry with a high export potential," Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov was quoted as saying in the statement.
The Kovyktinskoye field is the largest field in the east of Russia. The subsoil license belongs to Gazprom. Its recoverable gas reserves amount to 1.8 trillion cubic meters of gas. The field is the base for the Irkutsk gas production center and the resource base for the Power of Siberia gas pipeline (along with the Chayandinskoye field in Yakutia).
The saline groundwaters of the Kovyktinskoye field contain significant resources of natural lithium compounds. These are widely used in various industries, including the production of batteries for electronic equipment and electric vehicles.
At the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum in October 2021, Gazprom and Irkutsk Oil Company signed a memorandum of intent to implement a joint project to extract and process formation brines (mineralized underground water) from Gazprom's Kovyktinskoye field to produce lithium compounds and other valuable components.
