The chemical group has struck a deal to buy Talison, an Australian lithium producer with headquarters in Perth.

US chemicals group Rockwood has struck a C$720 million (£460 million) deal to buy Talison, an Australian lithium producer with headquarters in Perth.

Talison employs 140 people across sites in Australia, Canada, Chile and China. It produces lithium concentrate at its mining site at Greenbushes, Australia, exporting over 350,000 tonnes of lithium products annually. In addition, it runs a lithium brine project in the Atacama Region, Chile, comprising seven brine lakes.

Rockwood describes itself as ‘the leading global producer’ of lithium products. In 2011, the company generated sales of $1.3 billion (£820 million) from ‘lithium products…and advanced metal-based speciality chemicals’, under its Rockwood Lithium brand. In February 2012, the company announced plans to invest $140 million in a new lithium carbonate production plant in Chile.

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