Huge occurrence?

In Germany, lithium could be produced for millions of e-cars

Created: 12/28/2021, 05:48 PM

From: Luisa Weckesser

With a total volume of almost 16 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, the Upper Rhine Valley could provide the largest lithium reserves in Europe.

(Symbol picture) © dpa

Germany could become the number 1 lithium supplier in Europe in the next few years.

A company now wants to tackle what sounds impossible.

Kassel - As early as 2025, so much lithium could be extracted from German geothermal plants that it would be possible to build one million electric vehicles per year.

At least that is what the company Vulcan Energy assumes.

This could, for example, make the Upper Rhine Valley the number 1 lithium supplier in Europe.

According to information from t3n.de, Vulcan Energy is currently building five geothermal power plants in the Upper Rhine Valley and has one of the world's richest lithium deposits in geothermal brine at its feet.

With a total volume of almost 16 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, the Upper Rhine Valley could provide the largest lithium reserves in Europe, explains Vulcan boss Horst Kreuter to Euractiv.

Huge lithium deposits: All production should take place over very short distances

This should take until 2025, but Vulcan Energy could then generate 40,000 tons of lithium hydroxide annually without emissions.

This amount is enough for around a million e-cars.

The entire production should take place within very short distances.

First, the crude lithium will be taken to a nearby refinery, where it will be converted to lithium hydroxide and shipped to battery and automobile factories across Europe.

Kreuter assures that the average transport distance will only be 80 kilometers.

So far, transport distances of 10,000 and more kilometers have been normal.

Vulcan Energy wants to supply 100 percent of the battery industry in Germany.

It should also be possible to cover 25 percent of the expected demand across Europe.

At present, Europe is still heavily dependent on imports from China, Australia and the Republic of the Congo.

Huge lithium deposits in Germany: EU wants to be self-sufficient with batteries by 2025

Due to its strategic importance for the automotive industry, lithium was included in the EU list of critical raw materials in September 2020.

For this reason, the search for a European lithium source began, because the goal is that the EU can be self-sufficient with batteries by 2025.

The EU Commission therefore presented drafts for new standards for batteries in December 2019.

These mandate that all batteries sold in the EU must have a carbon footprint and use responsibly sourced materials.

By extracting lithium, renewable energies, heating and cooling, which were previously the main product of geothermal energy, are purely a by-product of the industry.

“Lithium changes geothermal energy in a certain way because the economy is much better if you produce lithium instead of just geothermal energy.

We are able to support the heating price and offer the communities in the vicinity of our power plants a low and stable price for heating, ”explains Kreuter.

The number of electric cars is set to increase rapidly in the next few years - but scarce raw materials could slow the boom *.

Tesla is now showing a solution.

(Luisa Weckesser)

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