Esso to start looking for lithium in Germany

ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso has gotten the green light to look for lithium in Germany, Specifically in the state of Lower Saxony. The State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG) allocated four so-called licence fields for the exploration of lithium for an initial period of five years.

The permit is valid from 1 January 2025 and covers an area spanning 1,443 square kilometres. But Esso will not be allowed to start digging right away – it has to await the approval of operating plans under mining law. It is not clear how long that will take.

According to the LBEG, Esso is looking to extract lithium for commercial purposes – the exact use is not specified further. As is well known, lithium is an important component for EV batteries, as well as for batteries used in smartphones, for example.

“In order to phase out fossil fuels, we need alternatives,” said LBEG President Carsten Mühlenmeier. “Lithium is an important raw material for the production of high-performance batteries, for example, to store energy produced from renewable sources. It can be used in EVs and storage systems for photovoltaic energy. And the geological conditions in Northern Germany are good for extracting this raw material in a way that conserves resources and does not require a lot of land,” he continued.

If the company finds lithium in Lower Saxony, it will be extracted using a technique called borehole mining. Just as with geothermal energy, liquids are extracted from a depth of several thousand metres, the State Office explains. Components containing lithium are sorted out, and the rest of the fluids can be returned to the original underground layers.

The LBEG’s approval covers four areas (see map above). The ‘Greetsiel IV’ permitted area extends from Emden to the outskirts of the city of Norden and covers an area of over 325 square kilometres, while the ‘Hengstlage’ permitted area covers an area of over 429 square kilometres between Wardenburg and Wildeshausen. The ‘Hemslingen’ permit field covers an area of just over 453 square kilometres from Rotenburg (Wümme) and Visselhövede to Schneverdingen, and the ‘Wolterdingen’ permit field is directly adjacent to the east, spanning just under 236 square kilometres and extending to Soltau and Bispingen.

Moreover, according to the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology in Lower Saxony, these areas are just the beginning of Esso’s ambitions. “The company has submitted 19 further applications for exploration licences in Lower Saxony to the LBEG, which will be decided on shortly,” the press release states.

lbeg.niedersachsen.de (in German)