Geothermal Engineering to produce UK's first zero-carbon lithium in Cornwall

Geothermal Engineering Limited found geothermal fluid at its Cornwall United Downs site containing roughly 340 ppm of lithium, enabling production of the UK's first commercially significant carbon-neutral lithium. The project signals a low-emission lithium extraction pathway relevant to India's own electric-vehicle battery supply-chain ambitions.

Geothermal Engineering Limited (GEL) reported that geothermal fluid from deep wells at its United Downs site in Cornwall contains approximately 340 parts per million of lithium, among the highest concentrations in any commercial European geothermal lithium project. GEL extracts lithium as a by-product of baseload geothermal electricity and heat, using zero-carbon power to avoid water-intensive evaporation ponds and carbon-intensive quarrying. The company aims to produce around 100 tonnes per annum of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent by late 2024, scaling to a minimum of 1,000 tpa by 2026.

The development affects UK automotive manufacturers including VW, Ford, and Jaguar Land Rover, who face the 2024 'rules of origin' deadline requiring 60% of battery packs to originate from the UK or Europe or incur fines. It also affects the broader European EV battery supply chain, currently dependent on Chinese refineries. GEL targets over 12,000 tpa in the UK by 2030, enough for around 250,000 EV batteries and covering 94% of the LCE for the 267,000 new battery electric vehicles registered in the UK in 2022.

GEL has secured planning permission for two additional Cornwall geothermal projects and aims to rapidly scale output. The company was awarded GBP 1.8 million by the Automotive Transformation Fund Scale-up Readiness programme to fund the 100 tonnes per annum units. Automotive and battery firms should monitor GEL's scale-up timeline toward 1,000 tpa by 2026 and 12,000 tpa by 2030, alongside the company's pursuit of further investment to support a rapid roll-out of projects.

Key figure — Lithium concentration: approximately 340 ppm in Cornwall geothermal fluid