London – 10 January 2024: Women in Mining UK 2023 Summer Internship at Green Lithium– Isabelle Goddard
Written by: Isabelle Goddard
I spent the summer of 2023 as an intern at Green Lithium. This was at an exciting time for the company, having just received planning permission for the UK’s first large-scale merchant lithium refinery. My role as a technical intern spanned many of the different parts of business. This was an invaluable opportunity to learn about how these different aspects interact, particularly within such a young company.
My work involved writing reports on the activities of potential spodumene (lithium bearing mineral) suppliers, frame working the structure of the Environmental, Social and Governance (‘ESG’) policies, and writing the “geological information” document for non-geologists within the company. This had a specific focus on the geology of potential spodumene producer partners’ mines. I also had the opportunity to learn about and sit in on negotiations with possible legal partners, and to contribute to the employee handbook with HR. While many of these tasks I had limited experience in, I found Green Lithium supported me through each task, allowing me to learn extensively about the commercial side of the mining industry.
This exposure to other aspects of the mining industry has affirmed my aspirations to enter this industry once I have finished my master’s degree in 2024. I was very pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed researching contributing factors to fluctuating lithium prices worldwide, and I found myself fascinated by the intricacies of these. This experience has made me want to enter the commercial side of the mining industry.
I would strongly recommend Green Lithium as a company to any future intern applicants. I was made to feel so welcome and valued as a team member, with my contributions clearly being considered and used by them. I would like to thank all at Green Lithium for their hard work in supporting me and my internship, and WIM UK for facilitating these opportunities. Improving the gender imbalance within the industry is an ongoing effort, but I believe that offering young women exposure to mining is a great contributing factor to reaching this goal, and Green Lithium and WIM UK should be admired for their commitment and contributions to this.