The production facility will be established at the mineral exploration and development company’s Cross Lanes Lithium Project, near Chacewater.
It will enable Cornish Lithium to implement multiple phases of testing and enhancements, with a long-term aim of achieving full commercial production at the site. Lithium is critically important to the manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs), grid-scale electricity storage, and rechargeable industrial and consumer batteries.
Phase One of the project will involve drilling and testing two 2000 m deep production-scale geothermal wells, which will build on successful exploration drilling at the site, which was completed in 2023. Lithium-enriched geothermal waters will be extracted from the first well using state-of-the-art Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology. Once the lithium has been extracted, the water will then be returned underground via the second well. These production-scale wells will also allow the company to assess the potential for harnessing heat from the same geothermal waters to provide heating for local homes and businesses.
In Phase Two, a temporary demonstration plant will be constructed and operated to validate the production of lithium compounds at the Cross Lanes site. This phase will evaluate the opportunity to provide samples for battery and electric car manufacturers. Following successful testing and evaluation, the company intends to construct a commercial plant at this location.
Having drilled and tested an exploration borehole at Cross Lanes in 2023, Cornish Lithium has already established that lithium-enriched geothermal waters circulate naturally within the permeable geological structures that underlie the area.
This, together with the progress made at its pilot plant facility at United Downs, where the company has been evaluating numerous DLE technologies since 2021, affirms the feasibility of building a demonstration plant, and subject to further evaluation, a commercial-scale lithium processing facility at the Cross Lanes site.
With planning consent now in place, work on the Cross Lanes Lithium Project is expected to begin this spring.
Cornish Lithium’s Founder, Interim Chairman and CEO, Jeremy Wrathall, said:
“The approval of our planning application to build the UK’s first commercial geothermal lithium production facility at Cross Lanes near Chacewater is fantastic news and a key milestone in our efforts to produce a domestic source of lithium from geothermal waters that were first identified in Cornwall in 1864. This marks another stage in the UK’s journey from currently relying solely on imported lithium to maximising the potential that lies beneath our feet in Cornwall.
“We will now finalise detailed designs for the demonstration plant, underpinned by a strong commitment to minimising our impact on the environment. We will also continue to proactively consult and engage with stakeholders, including local communities, authorities, and businesses as the project progresses to commercial production in order to support economic growth in the region and beyond.”