ABB to support Vulcan in its 'Zero Carbon Lithium' project in Upper Rhine Valley

ABB and Vulcan Energy Resources have recently signed an agreement to jointly establish design, engineering, execution and operations plans for strategically important reserves of lithium in Europe. 

The objective for the partnership is to establish the first phase of Vulcan's 'Zero Carbon Lithium' project, with ABB collaborating on electrification, instrumentation, control and digital, and automation of the project. 

The project located in Germany's Upper Rhine Valley region will access naturally heated lithium-rich brine from underground reservoirs while using geothermal heat to produce renewable energy for the process.

"This MoU marks the beginning of a promising long-term collaboration between Vulcan and ABB," said Cris Moreno, Managing Director and CEO, Vulcan. 

"We are delighted to have ABB as a key partner in delivering world-leading solutions for Phase One of our integrated renewable energy and Zero Carbon Lithium Project and beyond, reflecting our joint commitment to innovation and sustainability", he added. 

Over the short term, the collaboration will enable the clarification of design principles, standards and interfaces, as well as early design and optimization in electrification and automation for process and power. 

Furthermore, the two companies aim to go beyond project completion, extending to operational support and continuous performance improvement initiatives throughout the lifecycle of the plant.

"ABB's MoU with Vulcan Energy Resources exemplifies our united commitment to driving innovation and growth in the battery manufacturing landscape," said Michael Marti, Global Business Line Manager, Growth Industries, ABB Process Industries. 

"The potential outcomes from ABB's new initiatives with Vulcan are exciting because our joint approach, expertise and technologies will impact on further developing battery manufacturing for commercial and domestic end users. The actions we take today aim to ensure secure and steady energy provision into the 2030s", he added. 

Vulcan claims its project to be the world's first integrated renewable energy and zero-carbon lithium project by adapting existing technologies to efficiently extract lithium from geothermal brine. It aims to deliver a local source of sustainable lithium for Europe, built around a carbon neutral strategy with exclusion of fossil fuels. 

Already an operational renewable energy producer, Vulcan will also provide renewable electricity and heat to local communities. The company combined geothermal energy and lithium resource is claimed to be the largest in Europe.