French industrial minerals company Imerys announced it is in exclusive negotiations with a potential investor to sell a minority stake in its large-scale lithium mining project in central France, a key development in Europe’s efforts to secure domestic supplies of critical materials for the energy transition
Chief Financial Officer Sébastien Rouge told reporters on Thursday that the company is confident a deal can be finalized by the end of January 2026, though he declined to disclose the identity of the potential investor
 
				