Kyiv has awarded a tender to a group of investors to mine one of its most promising lithium deposits following a tender for a production sharing agreement launched in the summer, the New York Times reported on Jan. 8, citing two anonymous Ukrainian officials.

In response to an inquiry from the Kyiv Independent, TechMet declined to comment. Ukraine’s Economy Ministry and the U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment from Kyiv Independent by the time of publication.