**Summary**
Alkemy Capital Investments Plc (LSEALK) announced the appointment of Richard Rose as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of its wholly owned subsidiary, Tees Valley Lithium (TVL), effective immediately. Richard brings over 20 years of operational and project delivery experience in large-scale chemical and energy infrastructure. His appointment coincides with TVLs transition from design to execution readiness for the UKs flagship lithium refinery.
Simultaneously, TVL launched its **Operational Excellence Programme**, a structured initiative aimed at optimizing long-term operating costs, reducing capital expenditure, and embedding world-class standards across the project. The program focuses on five key pillars
1. **Safety and Compliance**
2. **Reliability and Availability** (targeting >90% plant uptime)
3. **Product Quality** (meeting Tier-1 battery-grade specifications)
4. **Cost Optimisation** (maintaining Europes lowest capital intensity)
5. **People and Capability** (developing local skills with regional partners).
TVL CEO Vikki Jeckell emphasized that these moves mark the next stage in TVLs evolution, ensuring the refinery is built to the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and long-term success. Richard Rose highlighted the importance of establishing operational excellence early, focusing on systems, culture, and local workforce development.
Alkemy Capital remains committed to developing critical mineral infrastructure to support the global energy transition, with TVL poised to become Europes first independent lithium hydroxide refinery, strategically located in Teesside. Further details are available on Alkemys and TVLs websites.