North German Basin geothermal projects aim to harvest lithium and heat

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy Technology and partners have shown that hot, saline water circulating deep in the North German Basin contains significant amounts of lithium—up to 600 mg per litre—and could yield up to 26.5 million tonnes of lithium metal (about 141 million tonnes of lithium carbonate). By extracting the lithium while using the same water to provide district heating or industrial process heat, geothermal installations could generate a second revenue stream, improving the economics of costly drilling projects. The studies outline five success factors for combined extraction: sufficient lithium concentration, adequate water flow rates, technical synergy between heat and mineral recovery, durable equipment, and compliance with environmental and permitting requirements. The approach aligns with the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act and aims to lessen reliance on imports from China and Chile. Currently three research sites and five commercial plants operate in the basin, with more than 50 projects in planning, while pilot projects worldwide demonstrate feasibility, though large‑scale industrial plants are still under development.