As part of his summer tour, the Hessian Minister of Economics, Kaweh Mansoori, visited Vulcan’s lithium hydroxide optimization plant (CLEOP) in the Höchst Industrial Park near Frankfurt on 21.08.2024. The minister took a look at the plant and the progress made on site and discussed the key challenges and opportunities for the future of Hesse’s industry with Vulcan. Securing the supply of raw materials and reducing the dependence of Hessian industry on raw material imports is of particular importance in this regard. Vulcan’s project for renewable energies and sustainable lithium plays a key role in establishing a regional battery supply chain – from climate-neutral lithium extraction to the end product, lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM), for the German and European battery and automotive industry. This also goes hand in hand with the creation of future-proof jobs and the decarbonization of regional industry in Hesse.

The CLEOP is an optimization plant and precursor to the planned commercial plant. It is used to optimize operating processes, carry out product quality tests and train operating personnel with a view to the future commercial production of the world’s first green lithium. Vulcan began commissioning the CLEOP on August 8th. “We appreciate Minister Mansoori’s visit and his great interest in our project. The CLEOP is an important step for Europe’s path to a sustainable and resilient future: it will deliver the first lithium that comes from a European source and is produced in Frankfurt-Höchst for Europe. This lithium is essential for the production of electric vehicles – and its origin, ‘green lithium made in Hessen’, is of outstanding importance. Close cooperation with regional partners and politicians is particularly important to us,” said Vulcan’s founder and General Representative, Dr. Horst Kreuter, who welcomed the Minister of Economic Affairs to the plant.

Minister Mansoori was impressed by the optimization plant and Vulcan’s efforts to produce around 24,000 tons of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) per year with the subsequent commercial lithium plant (CLP), also at Industriepark Höchst. This is enough to produce around 500,000 car batteries. With the further development of lithium resources in Hesse and the entire Upper Rhine Graben, the production of the commercial plant will be multiplied in the coming decades.

“In order to keep Hesse attractive as a business location, it is important that we support companies in investing in future-oriented technologies. The plant being planned here by Vulcan Energy is an outstanding example of this. The company shows how the transition to a climate-neutral industry can work and is thus a pioneer for many other projects here in Hesse,” emphasized Economics Minister Kaweh Mansoori during his visit to the industrial park.

The visit was also attended by industry representatives and Vulcan’s partners, including Infraserv Höchst’s Managing Director, Dr. Joachim Kreysing. “We are very pleased that Vulcan Energy chose Industriepark Höchst as the site for the lithium hydroxide optimization plant,” said Dr. Joachim Kreysing, Managing Director of Industriepark Höchst operator Infraserv Höchst. “As one of the most important research and production sites in Hesse, Industriepark Höchst offers the ideal conditions for innovative companies that are developing future technologies.”