MOSCOW, August 6. /TASS/. Authorities of the Murmansk Region are going to launch a production facility for processing of lithium raw materials required to produce Li-ion batteries in Monchegorsk, Governor of the Murmansk Region Andrey Chibis said at the meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

"Monchegorsk is the city of metallurgists; nickel and cobalt are produced there. And actually now we are dealing with creation of a new production facility, a new sector in Russia - this is lithium processing, production of active cathodic materials for Li-ion batteries. Battery plants are being constructed in the Moscow Region and in Kaliningrad, but raw materials, considering that we have Kolmozerskoe Deposit being developed by a Rosatom and Norilsk Nickel facility, processing of such lithium raw materials is planned in Monchegorsk. This a new growth point further to the upgrade of production facilities present there," Chibis said.

The administration of the Murmansk Region has already discussed this issue with the federal government, the governor noted. "Everybody came to the conclusion that Monchegorsk is ideal for processing of raw materials that will be produced in our region," he added.