ABB appointed as Main Electrical Contractor partner for Phase One Lionheart Project

Lionheart will have the capacity to produce 24 000 t of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM), enough for ca. 500 000 electric vehicles per annum, in addition to 275 GWh of power and 560 GWh of heat.

Key points

• Under the contracts, ABB will be responsible for the design, engineering, manufacture, testing, and delivery of the electrical infrastructure systems for the Project covering the Lithium Extraction Plant (LEP), Central Lithium Plant (CLP), and well sites, with a combined value of ~€46 million.
• The upstream LEP is located in Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate, and the downstream CLP is located in Industrial Park Höchst, Frankfurt.
• As the MEC, ABB will provide the high, medium, and low-voltage power distribution systems, variable frequency drives, transformers, UPS, and protection equipment required to energise all process and utility systems.
• ABB will provide design consistency, single-point responsibility, and technical integration needed to ensure safe and reliable power distribution from the 110 kV grid interface down to the process and building-level consumers.
• ABB is a global company specialising in electrification and automation technologies, offering a suite of integrated power, automation and digital solutions that enable safer, more efficient and more sustainable operations. They also deliver technical documentation, design software, training materials, and configuration and product selection tools.
• The signing of the contracts follow a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered into by the company and ABB in April 2024. The partnership was designed to optimise processes, shorten delivery times, and reduce and improve cost performance.
• The signing of the contracts is a condition precedent to financing, which the company is targeting to finalise, together with additional project and financing agreements, in Q425.

Vulcan Energy’s Managing Director and CEO, Cris Moreno, commented: “ABB has a proven track record of delivering large-scale, mission-critical infrastructure across the energy, mining, and chemicals sectors, including several recent major European projects.

“We were impressed with the work completed by ABB under the MoU, so it is pleasing that our collaboration will now be a long-term partnership.

"ABB’s systems will be the electrical backbone powering our Lionheart Project, and we look forward to working together in delivering on the objectives of the project.”

ABB’s Global Business Unit Battery Materials Manager, Staffan Sodergard, commented: “The continuation of our relationship with Vulcan Energy is significant given the nature of the project and its standing in Germany and broader Europe’s energy and mobility transition.

“Both companies share a commitment to innovation and technology, and we are excited to be playing a key role in advancing the local battery manufacturing industry.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/14112025/abb-appointed-as-main-electrical-contractor-partner-for-phase-one-lionheart-project/