Sweco has been chosen as the provider of EPCM services for Keliber’s lithium project in Central Ostrobothnia, Finland and will be responsible for engineering, procurement and construction management.
“It’s a highly important assignment for us at Sweco to partner with Keliber in this large-scale battery industry project. We’ve already been cooperating for several years and Sweco has supported Keliber in being at the forefront of developing chemicals for batteries. This project supports the transformation towards sustainable transportation, and represents Nordic expertise at its best,” says Erik Skogström, Managing Director of Sweco Industry in Finland.
The planned Keliber operations include lithium mine sites and a concentrator plant in Kaustinen, Kokkola and Kruunupyy, and a lithium hydroxide plant in Kokkola. Sweco is responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction management of the project. More than 100 experts at Sweco will be involved in the project. The production of lithium hydroxide is expected to start in 2024.
“We selected an experienced EPCM partner with a proven track record of similar large projects, which they have executed responsibly and safely. Our goal is to contribute to the global efforts of mitigating climate change as a responsible producer of battery chemicals,” says Hannu Hautala, CEO of Keliber.
The project is one of the most significant battery chemical projects in Europe and is part of Finland’s national battery strategy. In addition to Keliber’s project, Sweco has also been assigned in recent years by Terrafame and Northvolt, to develop a sustainable battery industry.
Source: SWECO
The ERTICO Partnership has played a leading role in facilitating the development of electro-mobility, for example in the NeMo project which improved EV charging interoperability in Europe, ELVITEN which raised awareness of light EVs through large demonstrations in six cities, and eCharge4Drivers which is supporting uptake of electric vehicles by making charging facilities more user-friendly, all coordinated by ERTICO member ICCS. The SOLUTIONSplus project is building capacity worldwide for EV take-up, particularly aimed at cities, while the ERTICO-coordinated eMI3 platform has developed ICT interoperability standards for EV charging.
