EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT

Vulcan signs potential lithium development deal

German chemical giant said to offer process and offtake synergies

The Hochst chemical park

The Hochst chemical park

The pair has signed a memorandum of understanding and terms sheet that will see them assess the feasibility of working together for the staged development, construction and operation of the planned plant at the Hochst chemical park near Frankfurt.
 
The plant will take lithium chloride into higher-quality lithium hydroxide.
 
Nobian, which is owned by The Carlyle Group and GIC, is the fourth largest chlor-alkali producer in Europe, and has extensive electrolysis operational experience, using a process similar to that used in Vulcan's planned flowsheet.
 
The three-phase agreement covers the definitive feasibility study and the operation of a demonstration plant at Nobian's existing site at Hochst, near where Vulcan has secured ground for its plant.
 
In tandem with the trial plant, a third phase will assess design/engineering, construction, start-up and joint operation of the commercial plant.
 
The pair will also discuss offtake agreements, where the chlorine and hydrogen by-products produced by Vulcan could be delivered to Nobian via pipelines. 
 
Vulcan managing director Dr Francis Wedin said Nobian's experience would contribute to de-risking the planned scale-up and build-out of the Zero Carbon Lithium project in 2024.
 
The project would strip lithium from brine aquifers via geothermal wells in the Rhine Valley for use in the battery sector.
 
Vulcan shares were up 1.5% today at $10.25, valuing it at $1.3 billion.
 
The stock has traded between $4.50 and $16.65 over the past year.

 

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining News Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining News Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Company ESG Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The Mining Company ESG Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Global Leadership Report 2024: Net Zero

Gain insights into decarbonisation trends and strategies from interviews with 20+ top mining executives and experts plus an industrywide survey.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Project Pipeline Handbook 2024

View our 50 top mining projects, handpicked using a unique, objective selection process from a database of 450+ global assets.

editions

MiningNews.net Research Report 2024

Access a multi-pronged tool to identify critical risks and opportunities in Australia’s mining industry.