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Released September 14, 2021 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The U.K.'s first deep geothermal power plant in Cornwall has announced record levels of lithium in its geothermal waters, opening the way towards a major market in clean lithium extraction.
Geothermal Engineering Limited (GEL), the company behind the 1-megawatt (MW) United Downs plant, said that recent, third-party tests have revealed that there are more than 250 milligrams per litre in the fluid, "which is the highest concentration ever discovered in geothermal fluids anywhere in the world." GEL and its partners also have been trialling sustainable, zero-carbon methods of removing the lithium from the fluid, so far managing to achieve a 95% extraction rate. The United Downs plant is expected to come online in 2022 and could be producing 1,500 tonnes of lithium by the end of 2023, GEL stated. Industrial Info is tracking a 2-MW expansion project at the United Downs plant that will allow the company to produce up to 4,000 tonnes of lithium per year from the new sites by 2026. The company said that "the race is on to produce locally sourced, zero carbon lithium".
Lithium is the key component in batteries used for electric vehicles (EVs), phones, laptops and most other portable electronic devices. Most of today's lithium is mined in South America and Australia before being shipped to China for processing into battery-grade lithium. The Faraday Institution, a government-backed body set up in 2017 to promote the battery industry, estimates U.K. demand for lithium could reach 59,000 tonnes a year of lithium carbonate equivalent by 2035, based on projected growth in domestic battery demand.
Ryan Law, managing director of GEL, said: "If the U.K. is to reach the government target to produce only electric vehicles by 2035, we have to find more sustainable and geopolitically more reliable ways to deliver lithium batteries. Establishing meaningful onshore lithium production in the U.K. would also encourage a lithium-ion battery-based economy to develop in the U.K., and could attract further important inward investment opportunities for Cornwall and the South West."
He added: "Deep geothermal heat and power are already set to help the world reach net zero targets. The addition of lithium production with no carbon footprint or environmental damage will help to drive more geothermal projects forward in the U.K. and offer more opportunities for green jobs."
The U.K. currently produces no lithium onshore and the carbon footprint of delivering lithium-ion batteries is significant. Last year, Industrial Info reported that the European Union (EU) had added lithium to its Critical Raw Materials list for the first time as the region sets out to be a global leader in the shift to EVs. For additional information, see September 30, 2020, article - Europe Adds Lithium to Critical Raw Materials List for EV Push.
Maros Sefčovič, vice president for Inter-institutional Relations and Foresight at the European Commission said: "A secure and sustainable supply of raw materials is a prerequisite for a resilient economy. For e-car batteries and energy storage alone, Europe will for instance need up to 18 times more lithium by 2030 and up to 60 times more by 2050." The EU recognises that it is "too dependent on other countries" for either the supply or processing of many of its critical raw materials. For example, China provides 98% of the EU's supply of rare earth elements (REE), Turkey provides 98% of the EU's supply of borate, and South Africa provides 71% of the EU's needs for platinum and an even higher share of the platinum group metals iridium, rhodium, and ruthenium.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
Geothermal Engineering Limited (GEL), the company behind the 1-megawatt (MW) United Downs plant, said that recent, third-party tests have revealed that there are more than 250 milligrams per litre in the fluid, "which is the highest concentration ever discovered in geothermal fluids anywhere in the world." GEL and its partners also have been trialling sustainable, zero-carbon methods of removing the lithium from the fluid, so far managing to achieve a 95% extraction rate. The United Downs plant is expected to come online in 2022 and could be producing 1,500 tonnes of lithium by the end of 2023, GEL stated. Industrial Info is tracking a 2-MW expansion project at the United Downs plant that will allow the company to produce up to 4,000 tonnes of lithium per year from the new sites by 2026. The company said that "the race is on to produce locally sourced, zero carbon lithium".
Lithium is the key component in batteries used for electric vehicles (EVs), phones, laptops and most other portable electronic devices. Most of today's lithium is mined in South America and Australia before being shipped to China for processing into battery-grade lithium. The Faraday Institution, a government-backed body set up in 2017 to promote the battery industry, estimates U.K. demand for lithium could reach 59,000 tonnes a year of lithium carbonate equivalent by 2035, based on projected growth in domestic battery demand.
Ryan Law, managing director of GEL, said: "If the U.K. is to reach the government target to produce only electric vehicles by 2035, we have to find more sustainable and geopolitically more reliable ways to deliver lithium batteries. Establishing meaningful onshore lithium production in the U.K. would also encourage a lithium-ion battery-based economy to develop in the U.K., and could attract further important inward investment opportunities for Cornwall and the South West."
He added: "Deep geothermal heat and power are already set to help the world reach net zero targets. The addition of lithium production with no carbon footprint or environmental damage will help to drive more geothermal projects forward in the U.K. and offer more opportunities for green jobs."
The U.K. currently produces no lithium onshore and the carbon footprint of delivering lithium-ion batteries is significant. Last year, Industrial Info reported that the European Union (EU) had added lithium to its Critical Raw Materials list for the first time as the region sets out to be a global leader in the shift to EVs. For additional information, see September 30, 2020, article - Europe Adds Lithium to Critical Raw Materials List for EV Push.
Maros Sefčovič, vice president for Inter-institutional Relations and Foresight at the European Commission said: "A secure and sustainable supply of raw materials is a prerequisite for a resilient economy. For e-car batteries and energy storage alone, Europe will for instance need up to 18 times more lithium by 2030 and up to 60 times more by 2050." The EU recognises that it is "too dependent on other countries" for either the supply or processing of many of its critical raw materials. For example, China provides 98% of the EU's supply of rare earth elements (REE), Turkey provides 98% of the EU's supply of borate, and South Africa provides 71% of the EU's needs for platinum and an even higher share of the platinum group metals iridium, rhodium, and ruthenium.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
