Tees Valley Lithium (TVL) has been awarded the
Innovation Award at the 2025
Battery Britain Gala, a national event celebrating the companies, technologies and partnerships driving the UK’s electrification and battery ecosystem. The accolade recognises TVL’s pioneering work in establishing the UK’s first large-scale lithium refinery and creating the midstream capability needed to support gigafactories, strengthen supply chains and reduce dependence on carbon-intensive overseas processing routes.
The award followed a keynote address by Vikki Jeckell, CEO of Tees Valley Lithium, who spoke about the realities of building industrial capability in the UK, the importance of collaboration and the strategic role Teesside will play in powering Britain’s energy transition. In her remarks, she highlighted the 1,100% increase in lithium demand projected under the UK’s new Critical Minerals Strategy and stressed that innovation is not just about patents or technology, but also about creating new industrial pathways, modernising supply chains and delivering projects the UK has never seen before.
She was candid about the challenges of constructing chemical processing facilities in the UK, citing the slowest planning approvals in the G7, higher construction costs than Europe and operational pressures such as some of the highest industrial energy prices on the continent. However, she noted that TVL is overcoming these hurdles through world-class engineering partnerships with
Veolia and
Wave International, a modular UK-optimised design and the strengths of Teesside’s globally recognised industrial heritage.