Geothermal Engineering Limited plans to invest about £43m in a Cornwall lithium facility, aiming for commercial production in 2029. Officials say it would create nearly 50 direct jobs and support about 80 more across the supply chain.
The facility is expected to produce around 1,500 tonnes of technical-grade lithium carbonate a year from underground geothermal brine—enough to power more than 180,000 typical electric-vehicle batteries. The project received an offer in principle of nearly £10m through the Government’s DRIVE35 Automotive Transformation Fund. Officials say it could eventually scale to tens of thousands of tonnes annually.
The company said government action had helped unlock nearly £230m of private investment in two lithium projects, in Cornwall and Teesside. It also said lithium demand was expected to increase by 1,100% by 2035.
