Cornish Lithium, the mineral exploration and development company that is pioneering the responsible extraction of lithium from hard rock and geothermal waters in Cornwall, has secured planning permission to advance its Copper House Lithium Project at Burncoose, near Redruth.
Cornwall Council’s Mineral Planning Authority has granted consent for the company to explore for and extract lithium from brine at this location, and subject to successful exploration, potentially install and operate a testing facility.
Following in-depth desk research to review historic mining data, extensive 3D modelling and exploration success in 2023, this location shows strong potential for lithium to be extracted from the geothermal waters – also known as brine – that circulate naturally within Cornwall’s unique geology, deep underground.
Lithium is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries, which power consumer electronics, electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage systems.
This project represents another major milestone in Cornish Lithium’s ambition to establish a portfolio of modular, commercial-scale lithium production plants across Cornwall, and play a key role in securing a domestic supply of lithium for UK industry.
The first phase of the Copper House Lithium Project will involve site preparation and the drilling and testing of two exploration boreholes to depths of approximately 2,000 metres.
If this exploration stage is successful, Cornwall Council’s planning consent enables Cornish Lithium to initiate a second phase that would comprise additional site preparation, and the drilling and testing of two commercial-scale production boreholes.
The planning consent also allows a third phase to include the installation and operation of a demonstration-scale lithium extraction processing plant to assess the quantity and quality of lithium in the extracted brine.
The potential for geothermal heat as a by-product to support existing and any future commercial operations as well as local housing in the vicinity would also be evaluated.
As part of the planning process, ecology, noise, heritage and land assessments have been undertaken by local experts and will help to guide the delivery of the project, in consultation with businesses, residents and other stakeholders.
“The approval of our planning application to explore for and extract lithium from brine at this location, as well as the potential to install and operate a testing facility, is another major milestone towards securing a domestic lithium supply and creating career opportunities and economic benefits for surrounding communities,” explained Martin Geissler, VP General Manager for Lithium in Geothermal Waters at Cornish Lithium.
“The UK Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy aims to produce 50,000 tonnes of lithium in the UK by 2035 and Cornish Lithium has a key role to play in contributing to that objective. In addition to the 10,000 tonnes per year that we intend to produce at our Trelavour Lithium Project near St Dennis, we are targeting 10,000 tonnes per year across our Lithium in Geothermal Waters portfolio. As we advance our Cross Lanes Lithium Project towards commercial production, it is vital that we continue to identify other sites with exploration and development potential, such as Copper House at Burncoose.
“At depths of around 2,000 metres, the temperature of the brine reaches around 80°C so geothermal heat as a by-product of lithium production could be a game-changer for Cornwall’s horticulture and agriculture sectors, as well as residential heating in the years to come. We look forward to evaluating the lithium and geothermal heat production potential of our Copper House Lithium Project facilitated by this planning consent when all the data has been gathered and analysed.”
The planning consent, application and supporting documents are available for viewing on the Cornwall Council online planning register using the reference PA25/07197.
For more information about the Copper House Lithium Project, visit: www.cornishlithium.com/copper-house
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