Lithium extraction plant set to be approved

The Weardale Lithium facility would be built at a former cement works in Eastgate

Plans for the phased construction of a lithium extraction plant are set to be approved.

The Weardale Lithium site would be built at the former cement works at Eastgate, near Stanhope, County Durham, to process lithium brine mineral resources found in deep groundwaters.

Those behind the plans said it would supply the battery industry and claimed hundreds of jobs would be created over its lifetime.

Durham County Council's planning committee will vote on the application on Wednesday.

The former cement works closed in 2002 with the loss of nearly 200 jobs.

The site has been dormant for more than 20 years, but its quarry was previously used by ITV to film the series Beowulf.

An application detailed a "significant opportunity for the regeneration of the Eastgate site".

Plans have been amended since the original submission. While the development would be temporary, permanent planning permission has been sought for pipeline routes.

The company said: "The scheme will deliver significant economic investment and jobs directly into Weardale as well as supporting long-term growth and development aspirations for the battery industry more widely within the North East region and the UK."

It follows more than three years of work in the area, including trialling multiple technologies to find the optimal way to extract lithium from the geothermal groundwaters, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.