Canadian clean technology company expands commercial-scale electrochemical lithium refining as Vulcan Energy advances Frankfurt refinery

The facility is part of Vulcan’s Lionheart Project. Vulcan Energy is developing one of Europe’s most advanced lithium and renewable energy projects, focused on producing battery materials locally while reducing reliance on imported supply.

The Lionheart Project will use NESI’s proprietary NORSCAND® electrolysis technology to convert lithium chloride into battery-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM), a critical material used in electric vehicle batteries. The project targets production capacity of 24 000 t of LHM annually, enough for approximately 500 000 electric vehicle batteries per year.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Boris Rhein, Minister-President of the State of Hesse, Mike Josef, Lord Mayor of Frankfurt am Main, and other government, financial and industry stakeholders, underscoring the strategic importance of domestic lithium production in Germany and Europe’s battery value chain. For NESI, Lionheart Project represents a significant real-world deployment of its electrochemical platform in the global battery materials supply chain.

The Central Lithium Plant will serve as the downstream processing facility for Vulcan’s integrated lithium and renewable energy business, combining lithium extraction from geothermal brines with electrolysis-based conversion into battery-quality material. The Lionheart Project is positioned as a cornerstone of Europe’s push to secure domestic lithium supply for electric vehicles and battery manufacturing.

“This groundbreaking is a major validation of NESI’s role in scaling cleaner electrochemical infrastructure for battery materials,” said Jeremy Moulson, President and CEO of NESI. “By integrating our NORSCAND® technology into the Lionheart Project, we are helping advance a cleaner, electrified approach to lithium refining at commercial scale. This milestone strengthens the German-Canadian partnership and places NESI’s technology at the centre of Europe’s lithium and battery materials buildout.”

“Commencing construction on our Central Lithium Plant is a defining moment for Vulcan and the European battery value chain,” Cris Moreno, Managing Director and CEO of Vulcan Energy, said. “Our collaboration with NESI ensures our operations achieve the high-purity, low-impact outputs necessary to deliver the world’s first integrated sustainable lithium and renewable energy business. We are proud to work alongside partners who share our vision for a decarbonised future.”

Vulcan announced that major construction works are now underway at the central lithium chemicals plant, following its positive Final Investment Decision and €2.2 billion funding package secured in December 2025. Commercial production is targeted for the latter half of 2028. NESI’s participation in Lionheart builds on decades of electrochemical engineering expertise and reinforces its position as a technology provider for lower-carbon critical minerals processing and battery materials production.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/08052026/canadian-clean-technology-company-expands-commercial-scale-electrochemical-lithium-refining-as-vulcan-energy-advances-frankfurt-refinery/