The Mannheim region plays a key role in the climate-friendly heat and raw material supply of the future. Vulcan is planning to harness geothermal energy here—similar to its project in Landau—and to extract climate-neutral lithium for batteries. This project not only contributes to the energy transition but also strengthens the region as a business location. But where exactly can drilling take place to access geothermal energy? To utilize the natural heat from the deep underground, specific geological conditions are required—as well as very concrete drilling locations at the surface. The geothermal energy lies several kilometers below ground, in what are known as geothermal reservoirs. Responsible site selection The answer lies in a multi-stage, data-driven selection process that considers many factors—geology, spatial planning, nature and water conservation (such as protecting the field hamster), distance from residential areas, contaminated sites, archaeological heritage, and other subsurface restrictions. Proximity to existing infrastructure such as roads, railways, power lines, gas pipelines, or potential connection points to the MVV’s district heating network is also taken into account. All sites have also been cross-checked with relevant protected areas to identify and avoid potential conflicts of use as early as possible. Geology as the starting point The basis for site selection is modern geological research (geophysical exploration, such as seismic surveys), which helps identify suitable geothermal structures deep underground. Search zones have been defined within a radius of around one kilometer around these geological target structures. Within these zones, Vulcan closely examines which available plots are suitable for drilling—always balancing environmental protection, spatial planning, and technical feasibility. Collaboration with municipalities and landowners A project of this size only works through dialogue: Vulcan is in close communication with the cities and towns in the region, the district administrator of the Rhein-Neckar district, the city of Mannheim, and MVV. Ongoing talks are also taking place with private and public landowners. The goal is to incorporate local specifics, existing plans, and open questions into the site selection process from an early stage. This enables well-informed decisions and helps prepare the permitting process effectively. What happens next The next planning steps are currently being prepared. These include discussions with authorities, initial risk assessments, and the planning of drilling site infrastructure, drilling operations, and environmental monitoring systems. The future network connection—such as to the district heating system or to potential sites for lithium extraction—is also being considered from the outset. This planning is being done in close coordination with MVV and other partners. With this structured and responsible approach, Vulcan is laying the foundation for a pioneering project at the heart of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region.

Karlsruhe, July 07, 2025 – Vulcan is pleased to announce an updated resource estimate for lithium and, for the first time, geothermal energy for the Mannheim license area in the Upper Rhine Graben. The new estimate is based on the acquired data from the 3D seismic survey carried out in winter 2022/23 and provides information on how much of these resources are contained in the hot deep water of the Mannheim subsurface. This allows the potential for future, sustainable extraction of lithium and geothermal energy to be discussed. The updated estimate shows a significant increase in lithium resources: the estimated total amount of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) contained in the Mannheim sub-area has increased significantly compared to the previous estimate – from 1.83 million tons to 3.23 million tons. The average lithium concentration in the thermal water is estimated at 155 mg/l based on information from wells in neighboring license areas. In addition to the lithium resource estimate, Vulcan has for the first time determined a geothermal resource estimate for the Mannheim license area in accordance with the Australian geothermal standard. The estimate of the geothermal resources in the Mannheim license area amounts to a total of 13,387 petajoules (PJ) of stored thermal energy underground. Part of this energy – specifically 548 PJ – is currently already classified as technically recoverable. The total resource is divided into 2,848 PJ (Indicated) and 10,539 PJ (Inferred). This resource would therefore be large enough to cover 100% of Mannheim’s heating requirements for many decades if it were fully exploited. The technical and economic development will remain the subject of ongoing and future investigations. The Mannheim license area is one of several Vulcan license areas in the Upper Rhine Graben in which the company is driving forward the development of future project phases. It is located around 40 km north-east of the area of the first project phase “Lionheart”, which is currently being implemented in the region around Landau. Vulcan plans to continue to estimate geothermal energy resources in accordance with the Australian Geothermal Standard for all of its license areas within the Upper Rhine Graben in order to provide the public with a better understanding of the geothermal potential. Parallel to the resource assessment, Vulcan is currently pushing ahead with the preparation of a scoping study for the Mannheim license area. The aim of this study is to develop additional production capacities to supplement the combined lithium and geothermal production of the “Lionheart” project phase – including a possible expansion of the downstream production plant for lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) at Industriepark Höchst. The plan is for Vulcan to feed geothermal base load heat from the Mannheim region’s geothermal resource into the district heating network of MVV Energie AG (MVV) – one of Germany’s leading energy suppliers. At the same time, sustainable lithium is to be extracted for the production of batteries for electric vehicles. Negotiations are currently underway with MVV to adjust the existing heat purchase agreement to take account of current developments. Through the combined production of renewable energy and lithium, Vulcan is building a regional, climate-neutral value chain that can make a key contribution to securing Europe’s supply of critical raw materials. The official classification of the Lionheart project in spring 2025 as a strategic project under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) underlines the importance of Vulcan’s activities for Europe’s energy and raw materials sovereignty. “The progress in Mannheim is another important milestone on the way to implementing our combined project for the production of lithium and renewable energy beyond the first project phase in the entire Upper Rhine Graben region,” says Cris Moreno, Managing Director and CEO of Vulcan Energy. “With the largest lithium deposit in Europe and first-class geothermal conditions, the Upper Rhine Graben has the potential to play a leading role in Europe’s sustainable energy and mobility transition in the long term.” Editorial contact: If you have any questions about this press release, please contact our Media Relations Team at presse@v-er.eu.

The GRE-GEO workshop series, which took place on September 18 at Celle Drilling 2024, was a complete success. Under the direction of Javier Holzmann from Clausthal University of Technology, around 40 participants came together to discuss the results and progress of the GRE-GEO project. The workshops formed the conclusion of the Celle Drilling event program and were among the highlights of the conference. In a total of four sessions, different topics related to the comparison of glass fiber reinforced epoxy (GRE) and steel in geothermal applications were discussed. In addition to the workshops, project partner Future Pipe Industries presented the project at its own GRE-GEO stand. In the first workshop, Ferid Seyidov (Vulcan Energy) gave a comprehensive overview of the origins, objectives and partners of the GRE-GEO project. He presented the newly developed GRE borehole design and the custom-made GRE handling tool from Drilltec. In addition, Seyidov explained the HAZID (Hazard Identification) analysis, which was specially developed for fiber-reinforced thermoplastic pipes (FRTP), and showed its importance for various project aspects such as wear resistance. He concluded by discussing new tools developed specifically for the testing and design requirements of the project. Stefan van der Sar (NRG) then compared steel and GRE-based geothermal systems in terms of conventional and radioactive deposits. He pointed out that the deposits on GRE adhere three to ten times less than on steel, which is mainly due to the lower hardness of the GRE material. This finding was integrated into a model developed in the project, which takes the entire geothermal pipe system into account. With this approach, the overall benefit of GRE in terms of deposition rates is slightly lower, but still significant. There is no difference in the radioactivity concentration (Becquerel per gram of deposit) between steel and GRE-based wells, but the total radioactivity (Becquerel) builds up more slowly with GRE. Leo de Mul (Dynaflow) presented the mechanical properties of GRE pipes under surface and underground conditions and presented the differences between GRE and steel in terms of load-bearing capacity, time-dependent material behavior and methods for determining performance. A key result was the development of an empirical-analytical prediction curve for the collapse pressure as a function of the pipe wall thickness (D/t ratio), which will serve as a basis for future research and further developments in underground applications. Javier Holzmann (TU Clausthal) showed how traditional steel standards can serve as a basis for new GRE standards, with a special focus on the API 5CT/5C3 and API 5C5 qualification tests for pipes and joints. He explained how experience from ISO 14692 for composite pipes can be combined with API standards to improve the design of laminates and joints for geothermal applications. Holzmann proposed a method to bridge the gap between these standards and increase the acceptance of GRE materials in geothermal applications. His presentation ended with an outlook on a key project goal that the GRE-GEO team is currently finalizing: a guideline for the design and qualification of composite pipes for low-enthalpy geothermal wells, specifically adapted to new operating conditions. As the GRE-GEO project funded by the GEOTHERMICA program draws to a close, this series of workshops has successfully showcased the project’s significant progress and contributions to the advancement of geothermal technology. The presentation materials will soon be available for download on the project website. We would like to thank all participants and visitors for their active participation and contribution to this successful event.

Networking, exchanging ideas, demonstrating expertise – as participants in the 7th Regional Conference on the Mobility Transition on June 4 in Wiesloch, we held interesting and valuable discussions at eye level with numerous political representatives, research institutions and companies from the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion and the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. The approximately 500 participants at the regional conference in the Palatin Kongresshotel came from three German states – Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate – as well as the French Collectivité européenne d’Alsace. The forward-looking event took place under the motto “Staying the course and mastering financial challenges” and was dedicated to climate-friendly mobility. In one of the numerous specialist forums on the topic of “Regional best practices for a sustainable mobility transition”, our Chief Technology Officer Dr. Stefan Brand spoke about sustainable lithium extraction in the Upper Rhine Graben and our project.

We are delighted that Vulcan will be represented at the 2023 Federal Garden Show in Mannheim as part of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region’s company presentations. We would like to invite you to attend our presentations in the MRN Pavilion in the experimental fields 77 and 78 and to take part in our discussions on the topics of resource efficiency, mobility and the energy transition. For quick access to the MRN Pavilion, we recommend using the parking bowl at Spinelli Quartier. We look forward to your participation in our presentations. If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Presentations at a glance: 30.09.2023 from 1pm to 1:20pm Energy transition: The challenges and prospects Managing Director Thorsten Weimann 22.07.2023 from 2:30 to 2:50 pm Mobility: The latest technologies and their environmental impact Dr. Horst Kreuter Managing Director and Founder 20.07.2023 from 2:00 to 2:20 pm Resource efficiency: Insights into current developments & discussion of opportunities Dr. Norbert Pralle

Vulcan Energie Ressourcen GmbH, headquartered in Karlsruhe, provided information on the results of the 3D seismic survey to date at a second participation workshop in Mannheim. The seismic in Mannheim was successfully completed in spring 2023. The workshop is intended to promote a transparent exchange between Vulcan and municipalities, associations, authorities and other stakeholders. As part of the workshop, the company informed around 40 participants about the results of the research to date. In various presentations, Vulcan reported on how the data was evaluated and how the location search can be derived from this. Based on this, the current project status and the further procedure, which includes the search for a location, were discussed. The possibilities of deep geothermal energy for municipal heating planning and CO2-neutral lithium extraction in the Upper Rhine Graben and possible timetables were also discussed. The information section was followed by a lively and interested exchange with the participants. Representatives of the affected municipalities, associations, authorities, companies and other stakeholders were given an insight into the progress of the project and were able to put their questions directly to the experts. The results of the data analysis so far promise a very large underground potential in the Mannheim area, more than previously expected, and further information and dialog events are planned. After all, the Vulcan project represents an important milestone on the road to climate neutrality in this region. A 3D seismic is a geological exploration. It is used by the company, which specializes in geothermal projects, to create a 3D model of the subsurface. The company is currently planning several geothermal projects in the Upper Rhine Graben region. With the help of geothermal energy, Vulcan will generate price-stable, safe and green energy for the citizens of the region and extract CO2-neutral lithium from the thermal water of the Upper Rhine Graben. The data collected during the seismic forms the basis for the projects in Mannheim.

On Tuesday, 28.03. we had the pleasure of welcoming Club60 from Mannheim-Vogelstang to the Insheim geothermal power plant. The 22 visitors were given a presentation on geothermal energy and lithium extraction, as well as electricity generation from the geothermal power plant. An interesting exchange was followed by a tour of the power plant with positive feedback.

We have been missing our geophones for a few weeks now: they are small, yellow and contain important data that can help to supply Mannheim with climate-neutral heat in the future. Information on their whereabouts not only helps to ensure a climate-neutral future, but also helps the European hamsters in Mannheim. For every geophone that is returned to us, we donate to the hamsters in Mannheim. We would be delighted to receive any relevant information about the location where we can collect the geophone. Have you seen anything? Then you can reach us at: E-mail: infobueroma@v-er.eu Phone: 0171 7908144 From 14.03. – 23.03.2023 posters about our geophone search can be found in the districts of Mannheim.

At the invitation of the CDU in Ladenburg, our regional managers Thomas Bening for the Kurpfalz and Hesse regions and Lucas Gehringer for the Ortenau region were able to present our geothermal project together with our Managing Director Dr. Horst Kreuter in the Domhofsaal in Ladenburg. The event was publicly advertised and, in addition to political representatives, the public was also invited via the local press. Here you can find the press release of the CDU Ladenburg.