On June 4, 2025, the Wärmewende Forum Hessen took place in the Capitol Dietzenbach – the central platform for the exchange of ideas on the heating transition in Hesse. Over 300 participants from local authorities, utility companies, planning and politics took the opportunity to network, learn from each other and work together on solutions for a sustainable heat supply. The event was aimed at: Municipal decision-makers and employees Energy and infrastructure companies Engineering and planning offices Political stakeholders, civil society organizations and multipliers. Vulcan was among the 17 exhibitors from the fields of planning, contracting, heating networks and subsidy consulting, among others. We were delighted with the number of visitors to our stand, the many interesting discussions and the opportunity to network! Review of Wärmewende Forum Hessen 2025 / LEA – LandesEnergieAgentur Hessen

Vulcan was once again represented as a member at this year’s House of Energy Congress in Frankfurt, which took place on 21 and 22 March under the motto “Keys to transformation – digitalization, infrastructure, skilled workers”. The congress attracted around 250 participants from the worlds of business, science and politics and provided a platform for in-depth discussions on the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition. As part of the “MEET AND MATCH” themed block, young career starters had the opportunity to gain practical insights into the fields of work in the energy sector and network with companies from the House of Energy network. Our Head of Regio Management, Thomas Bening, was also on site and provided valuable insights into the exciting world of Vulcan. Dr. Kristian Bär, Director New Business & Exploration at Vulcan, also took part in a panel discussion and presented the company’s latest projects. The annual congress of the House of Energy once again underlined the importance of innovation and collaboration for a sustainable energy future.

Karlsruhe, January 13, 2025 – Vulcan Energy has produced the first lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) that meets the purity requirements for the use of the raw material in lithium-ion batteries at the Central Lithium Electrolysis Optimization Plant (CLEOP) in the industrial park in Frankfurt-Höchst. It is the first production of battery-grade LHM that takes place entirely in Europe, from the extraction of the raw material to processing into the end product. The precursor is extracted from the thermal water of the Upper Rhine Graben in Vulcan’s first optimization plant LEOP using direct lithium extraction by adsorption (A-DLE) and then processed into the end product LHM in Frankfurt-Höchst. The prerequisite for this is a high-purity lithium chloride concentrate, which the company has been extracting since last year in the optimization plant in Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate. The entire production process is sustainable and has the lowest CO2 footprint in the world. This enables both one of the most sustainable and one of the most cost-efficient lithium supply chains in the world. The establishment of a domestic and sustainable supply chain for lithium in Europe is not only an important step towards strengthening Europe’s independence from raw materials, but also towards further advancing the green mobility transition. The production of Vulcan’s first battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate follows just a few weeks after the start of operations of the optimization plant in November 2024. The lithium product will now be used in ongoing qualification processes with Vulcan’s off-take partners from the European automotive and battery industry, including Stellantis, Renault, LG and Umicore. At the same time, the company is pressing ahead with the construction of the facilities for the first phase of the project. In this first phase of the “Lionheart” project, Vulcan is aiming to produce around 24,000 tons of LHM per year, which is roughly enough to manufacture around 500,000 electric vehicles. Like the optimization plant, the commercial production facility planned for this will be built at Industriepark Höchst and is therefore located in close proximity to Vulcan’s customers. Cris Moreno, Managing Director and CEO of Vulcan Energy, comments: “Congratulations to the entire Vulcan team on the first production of battery grade LHM at our optimization facility. This is an important milestone for Vulcan and the final step in realizing the first fully domestic and integrated supply chain in Europe producing battery grade LHM from local sources. I am very proud of the entire Vulcan operations team who have managed to produce battery grade LHM in a very short time since the plant started production in November. This underlines Vulcan’s position as a leading lithium and renewable energy project in Europe.” Imagery credit: Uli Deck Artis_Photographie

The GRE-GEO workshop series, which took place on September 18 at Celle Drilling 2024, was a complete success. Under the direction of Javier Holzmann from Clausthal University of Technology, around 40 participants came together to discuss the results and progress of the GRE-GEO project. The workshops formed the conclusion of the Celle Drilling event program and were among the highlights of the conference. In a total of four sessions, different topics related to the comparison of glass fiber reinforced epoxy (GRE) and steel in geothermal applications were discussed. In addition to the workshops, project partner Future Pipe Industries presented the project at its own GRE-GEO stand. In the first workshop, Ferid Seyidov (Vulcan Energy) gave a comprehensive overview of the origins, objectives and partners of the GRE-GEO project. He presented the newly developed GRE borehole design and the custom-made GRE handling tool from Drilltec. In addition, Seyidov explained the HAZID (Hazard Identification) analysis, which was specially developed for fiber-reinforced thermoplastic pipes (FRTP), and showed its importance for various project aspects such as wear resistance. He concluded by discussing new tools developed specifically for the testing and design requirements of the project. Stefan van der Sar (NRG) then compared steel and GRE-based geothermal systems in terms of conventional and radioactive deposits. He pointed out that the deposits on GRE adhere three to ten times less than on steel, which is mainly due to the lower hardness of the GRE material. This finding was integrated into a model developed in the project, which takes the entire geothermal pipe system into account. With this approach, the overall benefit of GRE in terms of deposition rates is slightly lower, but still significant. There is no difference in radioactivity concentration (Becquerel per gram of deposit) between steel and GRE-based wells, but the total radioactivity (Becquerel) builds up more slowly with GRE. Leo de Mul (Dynaflow) presented the mechanical properties of GRE pipes under surface and underground conditions and presented the differences between GRE and steel in terms of bearing capacity, time-dependent material behavior and methods to determine performance. A key result was the development of an empirical-analytical prediction curve for the collapse pressure as a function of the pipe wall thickness (D/t ratio), which will serve as a basis for future research and further developments in underground applications. Javier Holzmann (TU Clausthal) showed how traditional steel standards can serve as a basis for new GRE standards, with a special focus on the API 5CT/5C3 and API 5C5 qualification tests for pipes and joints. He explained how experience from ISO 14692 for composite pipes can be combined with API standards to improve the design of laminates and joints for geothermal applications. Holzmann proposed a method to bridge the gap between these standards and increase the acceptance of GRE materials in geothermal applications. His presentation ended with an outlook on a key project goal that the GRE-GEO team is currently finalizing: a guideline for the design and qualification of composite pipes for low-enthalpy geothermal wells, specifically adapted to new operating conditions. As the GRE-GEO project funded by the GEOTHERMICA program draws to a close, this series of workshops has successfully showcased the project’s significant progress and contributions to the advancement of geothermal technology. The presentation materials will soon be available for download on the project website. We would like to thank all participants and visitors for their active participation and contribution to this successful event.

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.”

Vulcan has started commissioning the lithium hydroxide optimization plant (CLEOP) at Industriepark Höchst in Frankfurt. The CLEOP will convert lithium chloride from the company’s lithium extraction optimization plant (LEOP) in Landau into battery-ready lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM). The start of commissioning marks the completion of the main building and the supply systems so that the first switch-ons can take place. The plant has now been supplied with electricity for the first time – a decisive step for the electrolysis plant. Vulcan’s CLEOP plays an important role in Europe’s path to a sustainable and resilient future: it will produce the first battery-ready LHM derived from a European lithium resource. Both LEOP and CLEOP are optimization plants and precursors to the planned commercial plants. They will be used to optimize operations, conduct product quality tests and train operating personnel for commercial production. Vulcan’s Commercial Central Lithium Plant (CLP) will produce 24,000 tons of LHM per year and will also be built at Industriepark Höchst. The company expects that the production of LHM in the CLEOP will enable significant progress in the product qualification required by the offtake partners. This will reduce the risk of delays and accelerate the product’s market launch once commercial production has begun. The start of commissioning will be followed by the start of production of the first lithium hydroxide and subsequently the first production of battery-grade LHM – the first LHM to be produced entirely in Europe, from raw material to end product. “The start of commissioning of our lithium hydroxide optimization plant is a significant milestone – not only for Europe’s independence from critical raw materials, but also for the independence of the supply chain for battery-powered electric vehicles. Overall, this is a major and important signal for the German and European automotive industry. In the coming months, we will start transporting LEOP’s lithium chloride to CLEOP to produce the first battery-ready lithium extracted from a European lithium resource. We are already looking forward to welcoming high-ranking ministers from Germany and the EU as well as important personalities to the official opening of this plant,” said Vulcan’s Managing Director and CEO, Cris Moreno.   (photo credit Jens Braune del Angel)

Networking, exchanging ideas, demonstrating expertise – as participants in the 7th Regional Conference on the Mobility Transition on June 4 in Wiesloch, we held interesting and valuable discussions at eye level with numerous political representatives, research institutions and companies from the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion and the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. The approximately 500 participants at the regional conference in the Palatin Kongresshotel came from three German states – Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate – as well as the French Collectivité européenne d’Alsace. The forward-looking event took place under the motto “Staying the course and mastering financial challenges” and was dedicated to climate-friendly mobility. In one of the numerous specialist forums on the topic of “Regional best practices for a sustainable mobility transition”, our Chief Technology Officer Dr. Stefan Brand spoke about sustainable lithium extraction in the Upper Rhine Graben and our project.

Germany and Europe are facing major challenges: Climate change must be stopped. At the same time, the EU wants to make itself independent of raw materials from authoritarian countries and crisis regions. Geothermal energy can offer a solution here: In the Upper Rhine Graben region, hot thermal water lies dormant in the depths of the underground. This can be used to generate renewable energy with the help of geothermal heat. Renewable energy from geothermal sources is climate-friendly, base-load capable, available locally and inexpensive compared to other forms of energy. Geothermal energy therefore makes a significant contribution to the heating, cooling and power supply in Germany and the region. There are already existing uses of near-surface geothermal energy in the region: Near-surface geothermal energy with a total output of 10,000 kW is already providing a significant amount of renewable energy in the Henninger Turm residential area and the modern FOUR high-rise complex in the banking district. The planned drilling depth of 800 m in Frankfurt is medium-deep geothermal energy and therefore the deepest borehole in the city of Frankfurt. The advantage of such a deep borehole is the higher usable temperature level. Im Durchschnitt steigt die Temperatur im Erdinneren um 3 °C pro 100 m. The deeper, the more heat underground. Frankfurt is particularly suitable for tapping into such a heat source: There is a so-called geothermal anomaly in the Rotliegend in the Frankfurt area. This means that the ground is particularly hot at this location and is therefore particularly suitable for generating heat. In the project area, the temperature rises by 9°C/100 m in some places. The subsurface in the drilling area here has a final temperature of 24°C at a depth of 200 m. The Rotliegend is particularly interesting: it consists of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone. These rocks form a so-called stratigraphic sequence, which contains particularly water-permeable layers (so-called aquifers). This means that the hot thermal water can flow particularly well here and can therefore be used to generate renewable energy with the help of geothermal power. The research drilling is intended to fulfill the state government’s goal of implementing a renewable heat supply in the areas around the Rebstockbad and Römerhofe and to serve as a model for other projects.