An endless lithium deposit has been found and it could rewrite the history of a continent

Germany has confirmed the discovery of one of the world’s largest lithium resources in the Altmark region, located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. With an estimated 43 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), the find could completely reshape Europe’s electric vehicle industry and sharply reduce the continent’s dependence on foreign suppliers.

The material is there – now it has to be extracted

An independent assessment commissioned by Neptune Energy delivered staggering figures: 43 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent. Still, experts are urging caution. For now, the deposit is considered a confirmed underground “resource,” but not yet a commercially viable “reserve” ready for extraction.

The company’s next major challenge is proving that extracting the material can be done safely, efficiently and, above all, profitably over the long term.

No open-pit mines required

What makes the project especially striking is that it will not require traditional open-pit mining. There will be no need to tear massive amounts of rock from the ground to obtain lithium. Instead, the metal is dissolved in high-temperature brines located several miles underground, directly beneath a natural gas field that has been operating since 1969.

That gives the project a major advantage, as the region already has existing infrastructure and decades of geological data available.

To recover the lithium, the company plans to use a direct extraction system. The process involves pumping salty water to the surface, separating the lithium and then reinjecting the remaining liquid underground. By avoiding the huge evaporation ponds used in conventional lithium production, the environmental and visual impact is expected to be significantly lower.

A boost for Europe’s strategy

The project is still in its testing phase, but initial trials have already produced battery-grade lithium. If the technology proves commercially viable, the facility could generate around 25,000 tons annually – enough to manufacture batteries for roughly 500,000 electric vehicles every year.

For the European Union, the discovery is a major development. Brussels has set a target for at least 10% of critical raw materials to be extracted within Europe by 2030.

This German deposit will not make Europe fully independent overnight, but it represents a crucial step forward. The next challenge for German industry will be proving that this lithium can compete globally on both price and quality.

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