BUSINESS

Russia grabs Ukrainian lithium

The owners of the exclusive contract for the supply of diesel fuel (produced by the Russian Lukoil) to Ukraine (30% of all supplies from the Russian Federation) – the Grand Prix Oil company – are planning to get another lithium ore deposit in Kirovoghrad region, central Ukraine.

Mikhail Zhernov owns 85% of the Grand Prix Oil LLC. In late 2019, he also became 100% owner of the Petro-Consulting LLC, which received a license for the exploitation of the Shevchenkivske lithium ore deposit in Donetsk region.

On November 6, 2020, the District Administrative Court ordered the State Geological Service to issue the Petro-Consulting LLC another license for a lithium ore site in Kirovohrad region.

The struggle for this deposit has been waging since 2018. Then the media wrote about the alleged connection of Petro-Consulting with Ihor Kononenko.

The promising lithium deposit was taken from Poroshenko’s entourage to give it to the Russians.

It should be reminded that data on the deposit reserves are classified by the SBU, but according to preliminary estimates, they amount to about “5 million tons.”

Lithium stocks are present in appreciable quantity in Ukraine. The world’s lithium reserves amount to about 53 million tons. Demand for lithium in world production is quite prominent today, especially from manufacturers of storage batteries for electric vehicles.

EMPR

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