Construction has officially started on the United Downs Deep Geothermal Power (UDDGP) project of Geothermal Engineering Ltd. (GEL) in Cornwall, UK. The work on the power plant and lithium extraction plant is expected to be completed by the summer and power generation is planned by the end of 2024.
Two deep, directional wells have been drilled for the project – the production well to a depth of 5275m (deepest in the UK) and the injection well to 2393m. Steam was first produced from the production well in 2021. The aim of the project is to produce power and heat from the hot granite rocks beneath Cornwall at the United Downs Industrial Site near Redruth.
Moreover, GEL had previously announced plans to extract lithium from the United Downs site. Third-party tests done in 2021 have indicated exceptionally high lithium content in the geothermal fluids in United Downs at concentrations of more than 250 mg/L. GEL’s target to produce 100 tonnes per annum of Lithium Carbon Equivalent (LCE) by late 2024 will be ramped up to at least 1,000 tonnes per annum by 2026.