Overview
- Ukraine’s Cabinet selected Dobra Lithium Holdings JV, LLC to develop the Dobra site under a production-sharing agreement, naming TechMet and The Rock Holdings as shareholders in the winning consortium.
- The program commits a minimum $179 million, including $12 million immediately for new geological exploration and an international reserves audit, with about $167 million for extraction and beneficiation if commercial reserves are confirmed.
- Competition terms call for up to 2.5 years of geological study followed by roughly 4–5 years to build a mine and processing facilities for lithium concentrates.
- Officials say early-stage state receipts are projected at about 13% of total output through profit share, a 5% royalty, corporate profit tax, and payroll levies, while the investor can recover capital via compensation product capped at 70%.
- Government statements frame the project as Ukraine’s first lithium award under the URP model and a step toward Western supply chains, while media reports have linked additional U.S. investors and DFC backing.