TechMet, Rock Holdings JV wins rights for Dobra lithium deposit in Ukraine

The Ukrainian government has selected Dobra Lithium Holdings, a joint venture including TechMet and US financial services company The Rock Holdings, to develop the namesake deposit in Kirovohrad region, central Ukraine, Ukraine's Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said in her Jan. 12 posts on Facebook and on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The project presents opportunities for Ukraine to enter the highly competitive global lithium industry, alongside trusted US partners, she said.

The Dobra project remains in the exploration stage, with its future capacity yet to be determined. According to preliminary estimates, the deposit consists of petalite and spodumene ores containing up to 1.26 million mt of lithium carbonate equivalent.

Ukraine had previously intended to auction it, along with two other lithium deposits, Kruta Balka and Shevchenkivske, in 2021.

"Under the production sharing agreement, the pilot project is expected to attract a minimum of $179 million in capital investment, comprising $12 million for geological exploration and reserve audit, and $167 million for mining and processing, subject to confirmation of commercially viable reserves," Svyrydenko said, adding the deposit will be developed in partnership with the state and will remain the property of the people of Ukraine.

The US-Ukraine Production Sharing Agreement is part of the US-Ukraine Minerals Deal, which the countries signed in April 2025, creating a joint reconstruction fund.

"Dobra is only the first step in an ambitious plan to integrate Ukraine into the supply chains of our strategic partners," Svyrydenko said.

Dublin-headquartered TechMet is a critical minerals-focused investment firm that is part-owned by the US government's International Development Finance Corporation, and also counts S2G Ventures, the Qatar Investment Authority and global energy and commodity group Mercuria as shareholders.