PLANNING permission has been granted for the UK’s first commercial geothermal lithium production facility to be built in Cornwall.

Cornwall Council approved Cornish Lithium’s plans to establish a production facility at its Cross Lanes site near Chacewater. Work is expected to begin this spring.

Lithium is used in the manufacture of electric vehicles (EVs), grid-scale electricity storage, and rechargeable industrial and consumer batteries. A secure domestic supply is considered critical to the success of the UK government’s net zero targets.

Cornish Lithium drilled and tested an exploratory borehole at Cross Lanes in 2023, establishing that lithium-enriched geothermal waters circulate naturally within the underlying permeable geological structures.

Phase One of the new development will involve drilling and testing two 2,000m-deep production-scale geothermal wells. Lithium-enriched waters will be extracted from the first well; these will be assessed for the potential of harnessing heat for local homes and businesses before being returned underground via the second well.

In Phase Two, a temporary demonstration plant will be constructed to ascertain the possibility of providing lithium samples for battery and electric car manufacturers, with a view to establishing a commercial plant at this location.

Cornish Lithium chief executive Jeremy Wrathall described the planning approval as “fantastic news and a key milestone in our efforts to produce a domestic source of lithium from geothermal waters that were first identified in Cornwall in 1864”.

He added: “This marks another stage in the UK’s journey from currently relying solely on imported lithium to maximising the potential that lies beneath our feet in Cornwall.”

Cornish Lithium has secured agreements with the owners of mineral rights covering a large area of Cornwall, and established its first pilot plant at United Downs in 2021. It also launched the UK’s first low-emission, lithium hydroxide demonstration plant at its Trelavour Hard Rock Project at St Dennis, near St Austell, in October 2024.

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