43 Million Tons: Germany Finds One of the World’s Largest Lithium Deposits Beneath a Former Gas Field
The Daily Galaxy • • science
Key Points:
- Neptune Energy is expanding lithium exploration in the Altmark region of Saxony-Anhalt, transitioning from traditional gas production to extracting lithium from deep, mineral-rich brine using existing hydrocarbon infrastructure.
- The company completed a second pilot project producing battery-grade lithium carbonate via ion exchange and initiated a third pilot testing an adsorption process, aiming for a fully integrated extraction plant in the future.
- Geological studies revealed highly mineralized Altmark brines with an average lithium concentration of 375 mg/l, sourced from lithium release in volcanic minerals at depths of 3200 to over 4000 meters.
- An independent assessment estimated 43 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent in Neptune Energy’s license areas, positioning the project as one of Europe’s larger lithium resources.
