It is the first such licence to be granted in the Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field (URVBF), and in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Lionheart involves the construction of an integrated lithium and renewable energy project targeting production capacity of 24 000 t of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM), enough for ca. 500 000 electric vehicle batteries per annum, with a co-product of 275 GWh of renewable power and 560 GWh of renewable heat per annum for local consumers, over an estimated 30-year project life.
Key highlights
- First lithium production permit issued by authorities in Germany’s URVBF, and in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
- Further de-risks Lionheart to start of production, with the project now funded and in construction following a €2.2bn ($3.9bn) financing executed in December 2025.
- The lithium production license, designated LiThermEx, covers Vulcan’s Insheim geothermal production permit area within Lionheart, a license area that is already producing renewable heat and power.
- Further lithium production licenses planned to follow for the rest of the Lionheart area.
- Significant step forward for Germany and the EU towards achieving critical raw material and battery supply chain resilience.
The LiThermEx lithium commercial production licence within Lionheart has been granted for an initial six years, following which time Vulcan will look to extend the permit to a minimum of 30 years’ duration, consistent with the Lionheart Project Field Development Plan. Approval of the LiThermEx licence is a significant milestone towards the targeted start of commercial production at Lionheart in 2028.
Vulcan’s Managing Director and CEO, Cris Moreno, commented: “Securing the first lithium production licence within the Lionheart Project marks another important milestone, and we thank the Mining Authority in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate for their excellent and timely collaboration during this process.
“This first lithium production permit sits alongside the €2.2bn ($3.9bn) funding package which underpins construction activities under way. We are another step closer to delivering Europe’s first fully domestic lithium supply chain, powered by geothermal energy co-production, an important step forwards for critical raw materials resilience in Germany and Europe.”