This development comes less than a year after the two parties signed an MOU to study the development of a lithium production facility from a geothermal source in Alsace. The target is for the facility to start operations within the decade with a final investment decision to be made “within a horizon of 4 years.”
The new pilot will operate for a minimum of 6 months to demonstrate the efficiency and ensure the long-term stability of the active lithium extraction technology developed by Eramet. The first two pilots were installed at the Rittershoffen and Soultz-sous-Forêts power plants in 2020 and 2021 for the first test phases, which proved encouraging.
This innovative direct lithium extraction process, patented by Eramet, is already in place at the Centenario Lithium project in Argentina, where the mining group will soon commence operations at one of the largest lithium deposits in the world.
In Alsace, the two partners aim to be able to produce at least 10,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year from geothermal waters by the end of the decade.
This French production, carried out by two leading industrial players, would meet the needs of around 250,000 electric vehicle batteries per year. This project, whose final investment decision is expected at the end of 2026, would also make it possible to produce carbon-free geothermal energy and contribute to the economic development and energy transition of the Alsatian territory.
