Hunan Hengyang lithium carbonate project enters environmental review

The reuse of existing quicklime kilns for lithium carbonate roasting is a notable cost-saving route into battery-grade capacity, and the inclusion of a gas-fired boiler signals the project depends on fossil heat rather than electrification. The environmental review is now the gating step, and its outcome will shape whether this kind of brownfield conversion becomes a template for smaller Chinese lithium converters. Whether the review clears without conditions, and how the retired lime lines are handled, are the open questions.