공고 • Sep 13
Vulcan Energy Resources Limited Provides A Progress Update for Zero Carbon Lithium Project in the Upper Rhine Valley, Germany
Vulcan Energy Resources Limited provided a progress update for its Zero Carbon LithiumTM Project in the Upper Rhine Valley, Germany. Sorption-Demo Plant: Led by the Vulcan Energy Engineering (VEE) team, Vulcan has started onsite construction of its Sorption-Demo Plant in Landau, Germany, following off site fabrication which has been ongoing since March 2022. The plant is being built on the premises of Energie Südwest AG (ESW), the local energy utility for Landau, following the completion of FEED studies, mobilisation and delivery of key components. A key element of Vulcan's strategy to de-risk its Zero Carbon LithiumTM Project, as such technical and operations personnel will train in the demo-plant to develop a comprehensive understanding of the process and its operation prior to the construction of the first commercial plant. The plant is scheduled to start cold commissioning in late 2022 and start operation in early 2023. Vulcan has chosen a sorption-type Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) approach for its lithium extraction business due to its current successful commercial deployment globally, and because sorption approaches have been shown to optimally produce lithium chemicals from hot brines with low operating cost and sustainable footprint. Sorption-type DLE includes several key advantages compared to traditional brine evaporation including higher lithium recovery, lower water and chemicals consumption, shorter lead time to production and minimal land footprint. Critically, since sorption-type DLE typically requires the brine to be hot, Vulcan intends to use the heat already embodied in the waste brine stream from its geothermal renewable energy operations, removing the requirement to heat the brine with natural gas as happens at other commercial operations worldwide. This represents a significant financial and greenhouse gas emissions saving, and enables the technology to be used on lower grade lithium brines compared to salars. The Sorption-Demo Plant represents a significant step-up in plant size from Vulcan's Pilot Plant, which has been successfully operating for 18 months, most recently at commercial geothermal renewable energy plant, Natür³Lich Insheim. Vulcan's Sorption Demo Plant will receive the geothermal brine, under a cooperation agreement, from the adjacent geothermal plant Landau of geox GmbH. The lithium hydroxide production Demo Plant, (CLP-Demo Plant) also known as "LiLy", is progressing concurrently and is still on track to start commissioning in late first quarter 2023. Expansion of geothermal operations: 3D seismic survey commencement and environmental approvals: Vulcan received a positive result for its second preliminary EIA application (UVP-V) in its Taro license, in the "Taro Golf" project area, to drill wells for geothermal energy and lithium. This is the second positive environmental approval the Company has received, following the EIA for geothermal-lithium drilling in Taro in July 2022, in the "Taro North" project area. The Company has received strong support to carry out a 3D seismic survey from eight local councils in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Vulcan is mobilising 3D seismic survey teams around its Insheim license area this week, from which it is currently producing renewable energy on a commercial scale, toward an expanded geothermal and lithium project development. Drilling division: Vercana, Vulcan's in-house drilling company, continued the refurbishment of the Company's specialised, electric drill rigs. Across the two units, work focused on rig down substructure and repair mast and substructure elements, as well as modification of the substructure and water tanks to allow for the installation of new skidding system and the installation of new electrics. Project timeline and budget: Vulcan's internal surface engineering team, VEE, remains on track to start cold commissioning of the Sorption-Demo Plant in late 2022, ahead of starting operation in early 2023. In-house drilling company Vercana continues to target operational readiness in early 2023 for the electric drills, which is likely to be early second quarter 2023. The DFS for Phase 1 of the Zero Carbon LithiumTM Project is progressing, with an updated Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) for Phase 2 targeted for completion at the same time. While the Company is working hard to achieve its H2 2022 target, the completion date is likely to be in first quarter 2023. Due to previously flagged, unprecedented global supply chain issues with sourcing certain pieces of equipment, project delays are still possible, and the project timeline is subject to ongoing review by management. Vulcan will keep the market informed of any developments as required.