Government fees and charges have been waived for two of the state’s lithium hydroxide producers.
Government fees and charges have been waived for two of the state’s lithium hydroxide producers.
Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia and Covalent Lithium will benefit from a $30 million increase to the lithium industry support program that was introduced at the end of 2024.
“Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia and Covalent Lithium have a vitally important role to play in critical minerals processing in WA and are a key component of the EV battery supply chain,” Mines Minister David Michael said.
“The Cook Labor Government believes it is crucial to support these two strategically important businesses while they battle with volatile commodity prices amid a period of rising costs; that’s why we decided to extend the crucial fee waiver initiative.”
Tianqi is the joint venture entity owned by critical minerals miner IGO and Chinese major Tianqi Lithium Corporation.
The pair operate the struggling Kwinana lithium hydroxide refinery, which has long been running below nameplate capacity.
Wesfarmers and SQM's Covalent Lithium joint venture are ramping up their Kwinana lithium hydroxide refinery to process ore from the Mt Holland mine.
The waiver extension will run until December 2027. It was due to expire at the end of this year.
Mr Michael said the funding allocation fits within the government’s Made in WA campaign, supporting downstream and value-add processing and protecting jobs.
He said $5 million will also be committed to facilitate the development of standards for the reuse of lithium by-product in construction materials, reducing disposal costs.
