On August 27, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine launched a tender for a production sharing agreement (PSA) covering the Dobra lithium site in Kirovohrad region, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko announced. She emphasized that the decision aims to advance the mining sector and attract strategic investment, as the deposit contains substantial reserves of lithium and other critical metals.
The 1,706.9-hectare deposit is located in the Novoukrainka district near the villages of Novostankuvata and Ternove. Its primary resource is lithium ore, with associated minerals including tantalum, niobium, rubidium, beryllium, tin, cesium, tungsten, and gold. Lithium reserves are estimated at more than 1.2 million tons, alongside identified resources of other rare metals.
According to Svyrydenko, the government expects to attract an investor prepared not only to extract lithium but also to develop value-added production within Ukraine. An official notice will be published within the next two months, followed by a three-month application and selection process.
The Prime Minister also highlighted that the project could become the first supported by the newly established U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, aimed at cooperation in the field of critical minerals. Lithium is a vital material for battery production, electronics, automotive manufacturing, as well as chemical, medical, aerospace, and energy industries.
Under the terms of the PSA, the investor will assume the costs and risks of exploration and extraction in exchange for a share of the produced output. The Dobra deposit was previously included in the list of 26 strategic mineral sites identified by the government in 2023 as priorities for investment.
