On June 18, 2024, during an official visit to Australia at the invitation of the Australian government, Li Qiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, led a Chinese delegation to visit Tianqi Lithium’s Kwinana Plant in Perth. He was accompanied by Madeleine King, Australia’s Minister for Resources, and Roger Cook, Premier of Western Australia.
Jiang Weiping, Founder and Honorary Chairman of Tianqi Lithium, along with the company’s senior management team and employees, warmly welcomed Premier Li Qiang and the delegation. Jiang provided an overview of Tianqi Lithium’s history and its Kwinana Plant, highlighting that Tianqi Lithium’s Kwinana Plant is not only Australia’s first lithium hydroxide plant, but also the world’s first fully automated battery-grade lithium hydroxide production facility. Raj Surendran, President of Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia (TLEA), gave a detailed presentation on the plant. He mentioned that the first phase, with a capacity of 24,000 tons, is now operational. Its products have been certified by customers and will be sold mainly to the European, Japanese, and South Korean markets. He also noted that Tianqi Lithium has brought cutting-edge lithium extraction technology to Australia, marking its first step in developing the midstream and downstream sectors of Australia’s lithium battery industry. Tianqi Lithium has created over 1,300 jobs in Australia through investment.
After the briefing and tour of the lithium concentrate storage and product packaging workshop, Premier Li Qiang stated that China boasts a solid foundation of technologies in industries such as new energy vehicles and lithium batteries, while Australia possesses abundant resources in key minerals like lithium. He emphasized that both countries can leverage their complementary advantages and potentials to build a competitive industrial and supply chain in the new energy sector, benefiting the low-carbon development of both countries and contributing to the world’s transition to a model of green development. Premier Li Qiang expressed his hope that Tianqi Lithium would continue to give back to the local community and improve local livelihoods. He also hoped that Australia would continue to provide a favorable business environment for the investment and operation of Chinese enterprises.
Western Australia Premier Roger Cook also commented, “As the world transitions to a clean energy future, we are embracing new opportunities for cooperation with China. An example of this is the Tianqi Lithium Plant in Kwinana, which brings job opportunities to the region.” James Clarke, TLEA Board Member and President of the Western Australia branch of the Australia China Business Council (ACBC), introduced how Tianqi Lithium, through patient capital management and long-term commitment to local ESG integration, has earned high recognition from the local government and business communities. He highlighted that even at times when other mining companies were downsizing their workforce to cut costs during industry downturns, Tianqi Lithium did not lay off any employees, demonstrating the company’s commitment and responsibility to the local community. Tianqi Lithium has been recognized as a “benchmarking enterprise” in the mining industry.
Finally, Jiang Weiping, Founder and Honorary Chairman of Tianqi Lithium, reiterated his sincere gratitude to the leaders from China and Australia. He emphasized that the strengths of the lithium battery industries in China and Australia complement each other well and that a stable and cooperative relationship would lead to mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
Tianqi Lithium’s Kwinana Lithium Hydroxide Plant is located in Kwinana, a port city 38 kilometers south of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. The plant has long been regarded as a model of economic complementarity and cooperation between China and Australia. It is Australia’s first fully automated battery-grade lithium hydroxide plant, which has an annual designed capacity of 48,000 tons and is to be developed in two phases. Phase one, with an annual production capacity of 24,000 tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide, commenced commercial production on November 30, 2022, and is currently ramping up production capacity. Phase two, also with an annual production capacity of 24,000 tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide, is currently in the construction design stage, with front-end engineering design expected to be completed in the second half of 2024. As Tianqi Lithium’s first lithium chemical plant investment in Australia, the Kwinana Lithium Hydroxide Plant marks a new chapter in the transformation of Australia’s lithium battery industry from an upstream resource-based industry to midstream and downstream processing industries.
