GEL Geothermal: Europe’s first ‘technical grade’ lithium carbonate on a commercial scale
Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) has opened the UK’s first combined geothermal power plant and lithium‑extraction facility at United Downs in Cornwall. The plant taps hot granite rocks more than 5km deep to generate clean electricity, enough to power around 10,000 homes, and extracts lithium from the mineral‑rich brine brought to the surface.
Early operations show some of the highest lithium concentrations recorded in a UK well, supporting plans to scale up zero‑carbon lithium carbonate production over the coming decade.
The plant was supported with a Feasibility Study and a Scale up Readiness Validation (SURV) government grants from the Automotive Transformation Fund, delivered by the Department for Business and Trade (now Department for Business, Innovation, Science, and Trade).
This video was published in April 2026, following the opening of the facility.
Learn more about the DRIVE35 Automotive Transformation Fund, and Scale-up opportunities via the APC’s funding pages.
Update August 2026:
GEL set to deliver Europe’s first ‘technical grade’ lithium carbonate on a commercial scale
- GEL has hit the specification to produce technical grade Lithium Carbonate with purity exceeding the 99.3% from its plant in United Downs in Cornwall
- This means that GEL plant is now on its way to producing 100 tonnes of technical grade lithium carbonate per annum, with ambitions to become one of Europe’s largest producers within the next five years.
- GEL’s proprietary method of production, linked to a geothermal power plant, is benchmarked as one of the most sustainable production methods in the world
Cornwall, 27 August, 2026: Today, Geothermal Engineering Ltd (GEL) announced a major technological milestone in the production of lithium onshore in the UK.
In a European first, tests show that GEL’s lithium carbonate produced from deep geothermal brines now exceeds the 99.3% purity specification and can be classified as ‘technical grade’ material. This means that it meets the purity requirements for battery producers and provides GEL with a direct route to market as the lithium carbonate does not have to be further refined before onward sale.
The Government has set a target of meeting 10% of the UK’s critical mineral demands from domestic production by 2035, including at least 50,000 tons of lithium carbonate. GEL will play a vital role in meeting this target as it continues its expansion plans. Production at the United Downs site is forecasted to hit around 2,000 tonnes per annum by 2029. As other sites are added, the anticipated total production from GEL will increase to 30,000 tonnes per annum by 2033, meeting over 60% of the UK’s lithium target alone.
Meeting this internationally recognised specification represents a significant step forward for GEL, demonstrating the company’s ability to produce high-purity lithium carbonate at commercial scale and bringing the UK one step closer to establishing a domestic supply of battery-critical lithium materials. Furthermore, recent benchmarking studies have ranked the lithium produced through GEL proprietary methods as one of the most sustainable on the planet due to combining the production with geothermal electricity production.
Julian Hetherington MBE, Director of Automotive Transformation at the APC, delivering the UK government’s Driving Research & Investment in Vehicle Electrification programme, DRIVE35, welcomed this announcement by saying:
“United Downs shows the huge opportunity the UK has to build a domestic supply of lithium carbonate in a sustainable way. It will strengthen the UK’s critical minerals supply chain and reindustrialise the country. DRIVE35 is proud to have supported the project with a £1.8 million grant through our Automotive Transformation Fund, to help reach this important milestone. We look forward to continuing to work with GEL as it scales production across the UK.”
Dr Ryan Law, CEO of GEL, championed this achievement by saying: “Producing lithium carbonate that exceeds the purity specification for Technical Grade material is a major milestone for GEL and an important validation of our technology. We are demonstrating that it is possible to produce a high-quality, saleable lithium product in the UK with the highest environmental standards, creating the potential for a more secure and sustainable domestic supply of this critical battery material. This achievement marks an important step in our journey from pioneering technological development to large scale production.”
Technical Grade lithium carbonate is traded internationally, including through markets such as the Shanghai Metals Market. As of August 20, 2026, the reference price was approximately $22,000 per tonne. Following the commencement of production in February 2026, the GEL plant has a production capacity of 100 tonnes of lithium carbonate per annum and aims to establish a leading position in Europe’s emerging lithium industry.