Arverne Group: Start of Construction of Lithium Extraction Demonstration Plant in Alsace

PAU, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

Arverne Group (ISIN code : FR001400JWR8, mnemonic code ARVEN), a French industrial company specialized in the production of renewable underground resources, reaches a new milestone by launching construction of the Direct Geothermal Lithium Extraction (DLE) demonstration plant for its project in Alsace.

Located in the Bas-Rhin region of France, this demonstrator will play a key role in assessing lithium resources, as well as the technical and economic performance of the innovative DLE technology in real conditions. It will validate the process for extracting lithium from geothermal brines in the Rhine basin, optimizing yield, selectivity and environmental impact.

Initiated in 2024 with studies and pre-orders, the construction of the demonstration plant is supported by BPI France¹, a project financed by the Government as part of France 2030 and by the European Union - Next Generation EU as part of the France Relance plan².

The equipment has been designed in collaboration with DG SKID, a recognized expert in this field, following the pilot phase carried out by Lithium de France³ in the laboratories of Equinor in Norway, a long-standing partner of the Group and co-shareholder of Lithium de France. The demonstration plant will be installed in Northern Alsace, on the first geothermal doublet, whose work is scheduled to start in the coming months, subject to official authorization for drilling.

Pierre Brossollet, founder and Chairman & CEO of Arverne Group, stated: "The construction of the geothermal lithium extraction demonstration plant marks a key milestone in the pre-industrial phase of our strategic project. We are pursuing our roadmap to reach, by 2031, an annual production capacity of 4 TWh of geothermal heat and 27,000 tonnes of geothermal lithium, a critical metal in the energy transition, meeting the growing needs of the electric mobility and energy storage markets.”

About Arverne Group

Arverne Group specializes in harnessing underground resources to transform them into environmentally friendly, local and renewable energy, contributing to the prosperity of local communities. As an integrated industrial player, Arverne Group spans the entire underground value chain, from exploration to drilling and production to sales to end-users. Arverne Group aims to become the French leader in geothermal energy and its by-products, including low-carbon geothermal lithium.
Founded in Pau in 2018, Arverne Group has structured its business activities around several subsidiaries, notably Lithium de France (geothermal heat and extraction and sale of geothermal lithium), 2gré (sale of geothermal heat), Arverne Drilling Services (drilling operations).
A mission-driven company, Arverne Group is listed on the Tech Leaders segment of Euronext Paris (ISIN FR001400JWR8, symbol ARVEN).

www.arverne.earth

¹ GEOVALI program led by Lithium de France, winner of the 2022 call for projects
² Acceleration strategy “Innovative battery solutions and technologies”
³ Lithium de France: subsidiary with headquarters in Haguenau, Alsace, 63% owned by Arverne Group, 23% by Equinor and 12% by Hydro