Prospects for the lithium deposits development in Ukraine

Abstract

The article is devoted to establishing the current state of lithium deposits exploration in Ukraine and the prospects for providing strategic sectors of the economy with this critical raw material. The countries with the most favourable conditions for the lithium extraction from ore and sediment deposits, as well as the potential of Ukraine on the world market, were determined. Global trends in lithium consumption in various industries, as well as its impact on market value, have been established. The main directions of lithium use of in high-tech sectors of the economy and forecast indicators of the level of consumption until 2035 are given, which confirms the critical role of this material in the construction of electric vehicles, renewable energy and the defence industry. The mining and geological conditions for the occurrence of lithium deposits have been established, which indicates the possibility of mining this material by underground and surface method. The geological characteristics of the largest Ukrainian lithium deposits have been studied, which allows determining further directions for its development. Estimated reserves of lithium have been established in the most significant deposits of Ukraine, which include Polokhivske, Shevchenkivske, Dobra and Kruta Balka. The approximate content of lithium in the ore of the specified deposits has been determined, which makes it possible to forecast the country’s resource availability with this critical raw material and the strengthening of global technological chains in the future.