Name of the Project
Lionheart lithium project.

Location
In the Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field, between Germany and France. Phase 1 upstream facilities are centred in Landau, while the central lithium plant is located at Infraserv Industrial Park Höchst, in Frankfurt, both in Germany.

Project Owner/s
The project is owned and being developed by Vulcan Energy Resources.

Project Description
Lionheart is an integrated lithium and renewable-energy project that combines upstream geothermal brine production and lithium extraction with downstream lithium chemicals conversion.  Lithium will be extracted from low-impurity geothermal subsurface brines using Vulcan’s adsorption-type direct lithium extraction technology, after which lithium chloride will be converted into battery-quality lithium hydroxide monohydrate through electrolysis at the central lithium plant in Frankfurt. 

The project is intended to produce battery-quality lithium while generating renewable-energy co-products for local consumers.  Phase 1 of Lionheart is targeting production capacity of about 24 000 t/y of lithium hydroxide monohydrate, enough for about 500 000 electric vehicle batteries a year. 

It is also expected to produce a co-product of 275 GWh/y of renewable power and 560 GWh/y for local consumers over an estimated 30-year project life.  The project is not a conventional mine and, therefore, does not use a conventional mining method. Lithium is instead extracted from naturally heated deep geothermal brines and by reinjecting lithium-depleted brine into the reservoir after heat extraction and lithium recovery.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Based on Vulcan’s November 2023 bridging engineering study, the project has a pretax net present value of €3.9-billion and a pretax internal rate of return of 27.8%, with a four-year payback.

Capital Expenditure
Vulcan announced in December 2025 that it had secured a €2.2-billion funding package.

Planned Start/End Date
Vulcan made a positive final investment decision on the project in December 2025 and is targeting commercial startup in 2028.

Latest Developments
Vulcan announced on April 24, 2026, that major construction works had started at the Lionheart central lithium chemicals facility, in Frankfurt. It noted that all regulatory construction-related approvals for the central lithium chemicals plant had been received and that the sod-turning marked the shift from preparatory works to full-scale construction in the downstream and upstream parts of the project.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Infraserv (power supply, utilities and services to the central lithium plant).

Contact Details for Project Information
Vulcan Energy Resources, tel +61 8 6331 6156 or email info@v-er.eu.