Russian miner Nornickel and nuclear state company Rosatom will compete for the largest nickel deposit in Russia, Kallanish notes.

An auction for the development of the Kolmozerskoye field in the Murmansk region will be held in 2023 with a starting payment of RUB 1.562 billion ($21.4 million).

In the spring of 2022, Rosatom and Norilsk Nickel signed an agreement providing for the implementation of joint projects to develop the Kolmozerskoye lithium deposit in the Murmansk region. The joint venture was registered in July.

It is the largest (and the most promising) Russian lithium ore deposit, with 18.9% of domestic reserves. 

In 2022, Nornickel held initial consultations with the indigenous communities in the region in view of the looming start of the Kolmozerskoye lithium mining project.

Geological study of the Kolmozerskoye deposit was carried out in the 1950s, and most of the data needs to be verified. The research will be carried out with the involvement of leading scientific institutions and in cooperation with indigenous peoples, the miner claims.

According to Nornickel, the lithium mining will help set up the first domestic production of lithium-containing products, as well as the production of lithium-ion traction batteries.

“Thus, by complementing each other’s capabilities and assets, cooperation between Rosatom and Nornickel will accelerate the construction of a full-cycle energy storage industry in Russia,” it added.

Last October, Rosatom began work on the construction of a plant for the production of lithium-ion batteries in the Kaliningrad region. 

The Russian enterprise with a capacity of 4 gigawatt-hours/year will meet the needs of domestic manufacturers of electric vehicles in traction lithium-ion batteries and the electric grid complex in stationary energy storage systems, the enterprise claims.

The production capacity will make it possible to provide up to 50,000 electric vehicles (EVs) with lithium-ion batteries. The first batteries will roll off the assembly line in 2025. Investments are estimated at RUB 26 billion.