The industrial minerals group Imerys announced on Monday the start of mining by 2027 of a lithium deposit in the Allier, in central France, which will be “one of the largest” in Europe. Lithium is one of the essential components of batteries intended to replace fossil fuels for cars. It was identified as “critical” by the European Commission in 2020. The European Union, which has set itself the goal of abandoning the thermal car in 2035 in order to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, displays many electric battery factory projects,