As part of France’s strategy to reduce its dependence on imported lithium, a key component for electric vehicle batteries, the first French lithium plant will be located in Lauterbourg, Alsace

The project, confirmed on July 23 by Viridian Lithium, calls for the construction of a lithium refinery producing 28,500 tonnes annually from 2027. Viridian has signed an agreement for a 14-hectare site, with an option for a further six hectares, in the port of Lauterbourg, owned by the Ports of Strasbourg. The aim is to meet the demand for battery production for 2 million electric vehicles a year.

Anticipating the ban on combustion-powered vehicles

Alsace stands out for its lithium initiatives. In 2023, a pilot lithium extraction unit was commissioned at the Rittershoffen geothermal power plant, near Lauterbourg. The water extracted at 170 degrees from the depths contains 0.2% lithium. The project, led by Eramet and Electricité de Strasbourg (an EDF subsidiary), is also being rolled out at a geothermal site in Soultz-sous-Forêts, a few kilometers away.

This project, along with the one in the Allier region, is part of the national effort to reduce dependence on lithium imports, mainly from China. The production of lithium batteries is crucial to the energy transition, at a time when the European Union will be banning the sale of combustion-powered vehicles from 2035.