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 Energy has secured a second lithium production licence, valid for six years, for its flagship Lionheart project, which is under construction.

The new Ilka licence follows Vulcan's earlier lithium production licence grant with regard to the area known as LiThermEx. The new licence is the second of its kind to be granted in the Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field and in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Once the Ilka production licence expires in September 2032, Vulcan will consider combining the two lithium production licences into one.
"We thank the Mining Authority in the State of Rhineland-Palatinate for their ongoing collaboration during this process. Lionheart's construction remains on track, and we look forward to providing our shareholders with further updates as we progress to targeted first production in 2028," Vulcan MD and CEO Cris Moreno has said.

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.