Tees Valley Lithium Opens Billingham Center to Accelerate Validation

Tees Valley Lithium (TVL), a subsidiary of Alkemy Capital Investments, is launching a Qualification and Validation Centre at the Billingham Chemical Complex in Teesside to expedite the supplier approval process for its upcoming lithium refinery. By allowing manufacturers to test battery-grade lithium hydroxide before the full-scale plant is operational, the company intends to avoid traditional industry delays.

"Customers told us plainly what they need: our product in their hands, early," said Vikki Jeckell, CEO of Tees Valley Lithium.

Shortening the Qualification Timeline

In the electric vehicle battery supply chain, battery and cathode manufacturers typically require a 12-month qualification period to verify that a new lithium supplier meets their technical requirements. This process is usually sequential, as suppliers must wait for their refineries to be fully commissioned before they begin the validation cycle.

TVL’s new facility is designed to run this process at the same time as the construction of its primary £185 million refinery. By providing samples early, the company intends to secure supply contracts before the refinery begins production.

Replicating Refinery Production

The Qualification and Validation Centre will mirror the process configuration of the company's planned 25,000 tonne per year Train 1 production facility. By utilizing the same process technology (licensed from environmental services firm Veolia), the center ensures that the lithium produced for validation represents the final product manufactured at scale.

This approach aims to reduce technical risk for prospective customers, who must ensure that the lithium hydroxide provided is compatible with their proprietary cathode chemistries. The Billingham site, a hub for chemical manufacturing in the UK, provides the infrastructure to handle the chemical processing required for high-purity lithium output.

Strategic Importance to UK Supply

The development of the Teesside facility is part of a push to establish a domestic lithium refining capability within the United Kingdom. As automotive manufacturers look to localize their supply chains to meet regional content requirements for electric vehicle subsidies and tax credits, the ability to qualify as a stable, local supplier has become a competitive factor for emerging lithium processors.