Rock Tech and Siemens plan lithium converter in Canada

The lithium converter currently under construction by Rock Tech in Guben, Germany, is designed for an annual output of 24,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium hydroxide. According to the company, this would make it the largest facility of its kind in Europe. Start of production is planned for 2027. The target capacity corresponds to around 30 GWh of battery capacity, sufficient for approximately 500,000 electric vehicles per year.

Rock Tech is also planning a similar facility in Red Rock in the Canadian province of Ontario. For the construction and operation of this plant, technologies from Siemens AG are to be deployed. The two companies have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding to establish a long-term, multi-stage strategic partnership focused on developing modern lithium converter capacities.

Central to the collaboration is Siemens’ digitalisation portfolio, in particular its Digital Twin technology. A digital twin based on the construction plans for the Guben facility is to be created and subsequently applied to the planned plant in Red Rock. In a further step, a digital twin of the Canadian site will also be developed, intended to serve as a blueprint for additional lithium converters in Canada and other allied markets.

A digital twin is a highly detailed virtual representation of a physical facility. It goes beyond a conventional 3D model, functioning instead as a data-based simulation that accompanies the entire lifecycle of a plant. The digital twin can be used during the construction phase, to simulate production processes, to monitor live operations and to support future scaling.

In the automotive sector, the approach is already established. BMW, for example, deploys digital twins as part of its iFactory strategy to plan, optimise and manage manufacturing operations.

Lithium for 900,000 EVs per year

For the planned converter in Red Rock, Rock Tech Lithium is targeting an annual production capacity of 32,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). According to the company, this volume would be sufficient to supply lithium for the batteries of up to 900,000 electric vehicles per year, underlining the strategic relevance of the project for the North American battery value chain.

“Red Rock will be Ontario’s first lithium conversion facility and is a key project in Canada’s efforts to rapidly establish domestic critical minerals processing capacity,” said Mirco Wojnarowicz, CEO of Rock Tech Lithium. “Together with our Georgia Lake mining project, we are creating a fully vertically integrated supply chain from rock to battery-grade lithium. A critical minerals corridor, entirely in Ontario.”

Part of G7 critical raw materials agenda

The initiative is embedded in a broader political framework. According to the partners, the cooperation is intended to strengthen German-Canadian collaboration under the G7 agenda for critical raw materials and to position the Red Rock project as a reference case for resilient, sustainable and scalable lithium conversion.

Stefan Rouenhoff, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, commented: “The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy strongly welcomes the deepening of business relations between Rock Tech Lithium and Siemens Canada. At a time when secure and sustainable supply chains for critical raw materials are of strategic importance, this partnership sends a powerful signal for the continued expansion of German-Canadian cooperation.”

Update 9 April 2026

Rock Tech Lithium has secured a financial backer for its project in Canada: the BMI Group intends to invest 200 million Canadian dollars in the development of Rock Tech’s lithium converter plant in Red Rock, Ontario. The joint objective is to establish processing capacity in Canada to strengthen value creation, planning reliability and supply security for North American industrial customers. The investment builds on the previously announced partnership with Siemens Canada to integrate digital twin and automation technologies.

prnewswire.com, prnewswire.com (update)