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RP Darmstadt gives Vulcan Energy the green light for the “Lionheart” project
The Darmstadt Regional Council has Vulcan Energy to construct and operate a lithium hydroxide production plant in the Höchst Industrial Park. Regional President Prof. Dr. Jan Hilligardt personally presented the permit. The company has already been operating a pilot plant at the site for some time.
“Independence from international supply chains for future-oriented raw materials is very important, so I am delighted to be able to present the permit today,” said Hilligardt. The project also sends a strong signal for the Höchst Industrial Park location: “It is impressive proof of the innovative strength and future-oriented approach of the companies in our Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan region.”
Four sub-projects combine future technologies
Lionheart project consists of four components:
- Drilling sites for the extraction and injection of thermal water
- Geothermal plants for generating district heating and electricity
- A lithium extraction plant for the extraction, purification, and concentration of lithium chloride
- A central lithium plant (CLP) in the Höchst industrial park, where lithium hydroxide monohydrate is produced
The end product lithium hydroxide is considered a key raw material for electromobility and is to be supplied to automobile and battery manufacturers in Europe in the future.
With an investment sum of over 500 million euros, the project is one of the largest industrial projects in the Rhine-Main area in recent years.
(DARMSTADT – RED/RPDA)
