Vulcan Energy sets date for its fully local commercial production of lithium chemicals after it officially opens “a training ground”

Vulcan Energy has inaugurated its Lithium Extraction Optimization Plant (LEOP) in Landau, Germany on November 23. The LEOP facility is set to produce lithium chemicals entirely from local resources while utilizing renewable heat from geothermal energy. The Phase One commercial plant is expected to be operational in the next two and a half years. Vulcan promises to supply lithium hydroxide for 500,000 battery electric vehicles annually, as it has partnered up with major automotive and battery manufacturers like Stellantis, Volkswagen, LG, and Umicore.
Such plans also spotlight geothermal energy as a new tool in sustainable mining, integrating lithium extraction with renewable energy production, which could serve as a model for other regions which are rich in geothermal resources and worrying about battery supply chain security and sustainability.