As the energy transition advances, demand is growing for critical minerals such as lithium, a key element for electric vehicles and energy storage-battery applications.
The UK government has set a target of meeting 10% of the UK’s critical mineral demands from domestic production by 2035, including at least 50,000 tons of lithium carbonate.
Significant development
A significant development towards meeting this target has come with the announcement from Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL), a leading geothermal developer in the UK, that its lithium carbonate produced from deep geothermal brine now exceeds the 99.3% purity specification and can be classified as ‘technical grade’ material. This means that it meets the purity requirements for battery producers without the need for further refining. Technical Grade lithium carbonate is traded internationally, including through markets such as the Shanghai Metals Market, and GEL hopes to become a leader in Europe’s emerging lithium industry. Its plant has a production capacity of 100 tonnes of lithium carbononate per annum.
GEL’s United Downs deep geothermal project is the first geothermal power plant in the UK, and is funded by a mixture of public and private funds. The aim of the project is to produce power and heat from the hot granite rocks beneath Cornwall at the United Downs Industrial Site near Redruth, Cornwall. The site contains the hottest and deepest onshore well in the UK, measuring a total depth of 5,057m. GEL has discovered high concentrations of lithium in the geothermal waters at their United Downs site.
Production at the United Downs site is forecasted to hit around 2,000 tonnes per annum by 2029. As other sites are added, the anticipated total production from GEL will increase to 30,000 tonnes per annum by 2033, meeting over 60% of the UK’s lithium target alone.
Step forward
Meeting the internationally recognised purity specification represents a significant step forward for GEL, as it
- demonstrates the company’s ability to produce high-purity lithium carbonate at commercial scale
- brings the UK one step closer to establishing a domestic supply of battery-critical lithium materials
- scores high highly in terms of sustainability, due to combining lithium production with geothermal electricity production.
Dr Ryan Law, CEO of GEL, said, “Producing lithium carbonate that exceeds the purity specification for Technical Grade material is a major milestone for GEL and an important validation of our technology. We are demonstrating that it is possible to produce a high-quality, saleable lithium product in the UK with the highest environmental standards, creating the potential for a more secure and sustainable domestic supply of this critical battery material. This achievement marks an important step in our journey from pioneering technological development to large scale production.”
Julian Hetherington MBE, director of Automotive Transformation at the APC, delivering the UK government’s Driving Research & Investment in Vehicle Electrification programme, DRIVE35, said, “United Downs shows the huge opportunity the UK has to build a domestic supply of lithium carbonate in a sustainable way. It will strengthen the UK’s critical minerals supply chain and reindustrialise the country. DRIVE 35 is proud to have supported the project with a £1.8 million grant through our Automotive Transformation Fund, to help reach this important milestone.”