Vulcan Energy CLEOP Visit, Frankfurt, November 2025

Thursday, 27 November 2025 was another excellent networking event for members and friends of the German Australian Business Council as we gathered at the Höchst Industrial Park.

Our corporate member, Vulcan Energy, operates a Central Lithium Electrolysis Optimisation Plant (CLEOP) here for the production of sustainable, domestically produced battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate.

Christian Freitag, Chief Commercial Officer, and Dr Stefan Brand, Chief Technology Officer, guided us through the afternoon and shared the story of Vulcan Energy, founded in 2018 by Australian Dr Francis Wedin, Executive Chair of Vulcan Energy Resources, and German Dr Horst Kreuter, an experienced engineering geologist.

Together, they combined business and geological expertise to create a unique project in the Upper Rhine Graben near Landau. By drilling 3–4 km deep, they extract lithium-rich brine, which is transported to the Frankfurt Höchst Industrial Park for final processing into the highest-grade lithium required for electric vehicle batteries.

The extraction of the brine not only yields lithium but also generates more heat than the internal process requires. This allows Vulcan to supply heat to surrounding villages and major customers, including BASF. The entire process is carbon neutral and requires no fossil fuels.

In contrast to hard-rock mining, which produces significant waste and involves substantial transport emissions, Vulcan’s approach is far more efficient:

“Mother nature has done half the work by providing lithium in soluble form.”

The close proximity between drilling sites and the processing plant further reduces environmental impact and cost.

As part of the first project phase, Lionheart, Vulcan also plans to build a Central Lithium Plant (CLP) at the Höchst Industrial Park for industrial-scale production of this critical raw material. The projected output will be sufficient for 500,000 electric vehicle batteries per year, and production is already sold out for the next decade.

Our sincere thanks go to Christian and Stefan for their highly informative presentation and plant tour, and to Andreas Auhorn, Strategic Advisor to the Group CEO, and Alessandrina Maniaval, Communications & Stakeholder Engagement Specialist, for making the visit possible.