ABB electrical infrastructure for Vulcan Lionheart: design notes for mine engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on International Mining – News
30 Second Briefing
ABB has been selected to design and supply the complete electrical infrastructure for Vulcan Energy’s Phase One Lionheart geothermal lithium project in Germany’s Upper Rhine Valley, which will co-locate renewable power generation with lithium extraction and processing. The integrated plant will produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) for the European EV supply chain, requiring high-reliability power distribution, grid connection and process electrification. For engineers, the project signals growing demand for utility-scale, renewables-based electrical systems tightly coupled to hydrometallurgical lithium circuits.
Technical Brief
- ABB’s scope covers end-to-end electrical infrastructure, from grid connection through plant distribution and control.
- Integrated design will coordinate power supply for geothermal production wells, brine handling and lithium processing units.
- Centralised electrical architecture should simplify protection coordination and fault management across generation and hydrometallurgical circuits.
- ABB will standardise major electrical components, aiding spares management and reducing downtime risk for critical process equipment.
- Digital control and monitoring are expected to enable real-time load balancing between power export and process demand.
- Co-location of power and processing tightens voltage and frequency stability requirements on ABB’s distribution design.
Our Take
ABB already features in several of our critical materials items, and its role at Vulcan Energy’s lithium and lithium hydroxide monohydrate project in Germany signals that ABB is positioning itself as a preferred electrification partner for European battery‑supply projects rather than just traditional bulk mining operations.
Within our 36 keyword‑matched lithium pieces, most projects are in Australia or the Americas, so a large-scale lithium development in the Upper Rhine Valley stands out as one of the few European case studies where grid‑tied, low‑carbon electrical infrastructure will be scrutinised by both EU regulators and OEM offtakers.
ABB’s recent commentary on “measured innovation” in mining automation suggests that the Lionheart electrical package is likely to emphasise proven, quickly deployable digital power and control systems, which could shorten commissioning timelines for Vulcan Energy compared with more bespoke, first‑of‑a‑kind solutions.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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