Karlsruhe, 10 June 2024. The Landau City Council voted in favour of the land development plan for “D12” at its last meeting on Tuesday 4th June before the local elections held on the weekend. The approval was granted by a strong majority, clearly demonstrating support from the City Council towards Vulcan’s integrated renewable energy and ZERO CARBON LITHIUM™ Project (the Project). The zoning stipulated in the “D12” development plan for the “Am Messegelände Südost” industrial estate, forms the basis for the construction of Vulcan’s integrated Geothermal and Lithium Plant in Landau.  Vulcan has already submitted the corresponding building applications for the planned facility. The City Council can now review the applications in conjunction with the development plan and building permits.

The planned Geothermal Plant will enable The City of Landau to utilise green energy both for the municipal district heating supply and for the carbon neutral energy supply of industry and commerce. Vulcan’s Chief Development Officer, Thorsten Weimann stated, “The Landau City Council’s decision represents a significant step towards a sustainable and carbon neutral future for Landau and the region. Vulcan is looking forward to partnering with The City of Landau to drive the world leading ZERO CARBON LITHIUM™ Project (the Project) forward and make an important contribution to the energy transition. The positive vote of D12 gives Vulcan a solid basis for the Geothermal and Lithium plant permits and positions us well for the start of construction aligned with our project schedule.”

Vulcan’s Project will result in numerous benefits for the citizens of Landau and the surrounding region. Vulcan’s aim is to generate carbon neutral heat for more than one million people in the Upper Rhine Valley by 2030 and thus actively support the German federal government’s goal of initiating 100 additional geothermal projects by 2030. “The population of Landau and companies in the region will not only benefit from baseload renewable energy, but also carbon neutral heat supply,” adds Weimann.

Lithium-rich brine and hot industrial water will be transported to Vulcan’s Geothermal and Lithium Plant in Landau via a pipeline system. The hot industrial water will be used to provide carbon neutral heat through a district heating system, thus producing green energy to benefit the local community in Landau and the surrounding region. In the Lithium Plant, the lithium will be extracted from the brine before it is returned to the subsurface, in a closed loop system. The lithium chloride produced will be transported to the Industrial Park in Hoechst for conversion to lithium hydroxide monohydrate in Vulcan’s Central Lithium Plant. Offtake agreements have already been secured with Stellantis, Umicore, Renault, LG Energy Solution and Volkswagen.

Vulcan’s Managing Director and CEO, Cris Moreno stated, “This positive result from The Landau City Council is an important step in the realisation of Phase One of our integrated and renewable energy ZERO CARBON LITHIUM™ Project. We are moving decisively towards the construction of the integrated Geothermal and Litihium Plant in Landau and are delighted with the City’s support for our Project which will benefit the region not just via renewable energy and heat, but in jobs and services.  A win-win for The City of Landau.”

Media inquiries:

Annabel Roedhammer
Vice President Communications
aroedhammer@v-er.eu
+49 (0) 1511 410 1585