The Dobra lithium area in Kirovohrad region could support production for decades if its industrial reserves are confirmed. Ukrinform reported estimates from specialists connected with UkrLithiumMining and the Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Ore Formation of the National Academy of Sciences.
According to Mykhailo Heichenko, chief executive and chief geologist of UkrLithiumMining, the area may contain around sixty million tonnes of ore. Former chief geologist Bohdan Slobodian gives a more optimistic assessment based on earlier exploration data, suggesting more than one hundred million tonnes of mineral resources.
A strategic minerals asset
The Dobra site is located in Novoukrainskyi district of Kirovohrad region. Lithium-bearing rock is expected from roughly sixty to eighty meters below the loose surface layers and down to an assessed depth of five hundred meters. The licensed area covers about 1,700 hectares.
The site is unusual because its ores contain both key lithium minerals: petalite and spodumene. This makes the project relevant not only for mining, but also for future processing chains linked to batteries, energy storage and European strategic raw materials policy.
The government has already selected Dobra Lithium Holdings JV, LLC as the winner of the production-sharing agreement competition. The project is expected to attract at least 179 million dollars in capital investment, including geological exploration, an international reserve audit and, if industrial reserves are confirmed, mining and processing capacity.
